Boosting happiness in Bhutan - Communications and Development ...

The magazine for alumni and friends of the University of Canterbury • Volume 2, no.1 • Winter 2005Boosting happiness in BhutanUC graduate makes country proudTsunami lessonsPreparing Kiwis for disasterA Place in TimeCapturing Christchurch on filmHigh-flyingHelping gliders reach new altitudesA Civilising Mission100 years of the Rhodes ScholarshipWinter 2005 1

ContentsVice-Chancellor’s welcome11 Back to Bhutan to help with GrossNational HappinessNima Tshering, UC’s only student from Bhutan, has set hissights on becoming prime minister of the Himalayan Kingdom.12 War on WeaponsCanterbury graduate Angela Woodward’s wish is for a worldwithout weapons. As Chair of the Geneva-based BioWeaponsPrevention Project she is in a position to help do somethingabout it.14 UC brain research excites NASAAn advanced 3D computer model of blood flow in the braindeveloped at the University of Canterbury has grabbed theattention of NASA scientists.16 High-flying project takes off at CanterburyResearchers at Canterbury have been working with SteveFossett to help break the world altitude record for gliding.18 A Civilising Mission: 100 Years of theRhodes ScholarshipAn exhibition celebrating the centenary of the RhodesScholarship in New Zealand gives pause to reflect on theimpact of an astonishing legacy.20 International collaborative effort bringsMt John telescope into operationThe search for black holes, extra-solar planets and theUniverse’s dark matter has entered a new era with the openingof the new $7 million MOA telescope at Canterbury’s Mt JohnUniversity Observatory.22 Learning from the tsunamiNew Zealanders need to be better prepared for disastersaccording to Canterbury civil engineering lecturer Dr Erica Dalziell.26 Capturing A Place in TimeSince the year 2000 students and staff have been usingphotography, oral history and written material to compile adigital archive about the people of Christchurch.32 Chronicling a QueenFirst-time author Veronica Buckley is basking in the glitteringreviews of her definitive biography of one of Europe’s mostintriguing royals, the 17th century Queen Christina of Sweden.36 On location in NicaraguaGeography students have a better understanding of the plightof rural Nicaraguans thanks to an ongoing research projectbeing carried out by staff at Canterbury.Regular features40 Books in Brief42 Alumni Updates44 Event Diary45 Class Notes46 Obituaries47 Alumni BenefitsCanterburyVolume 2, No. 1 — Winter 2005Editor: Jeanette ColmanCo-Editor: Chanel HughesSub-Editor: Roy HughesDesigners: Brenna Sharpe and Leanne MolloyPhotographer: Duncan Shaw-Brown and Eve Welch(unless stated otherwise)Print Production: The Caxton PressContributors: Scott Davidson, Jeff Field, Maria Hand,John MacDonald and Amelia Norman.Advertising: Rates available on enquiry to the Editor.Submissions: Correspondence should be addressed to theEditor at:Communications and DevelopmentUniversity of CanterburyPrivate Bag 4800Christchurch, New ZealandPh: +64 364 2922Fax: +64 364 2679Email: comms@canterbury.ac.nzCover: Nima Tshering is all smiles as he celebrates another hugemilestone in his life. UC’s only student from Bhutan graduatedin April with a Master of Engineering in Management.Canterbury is the biannual magazine for the alumni and friendsof the University of Canterbury. It is distributed to 32,000 peopleworldwide. Views expressed are those of the contributors and notnecessarily those of the University. Articles may be reproduced withthe Editor’s permission.Welcome to the first 2005issue of Canterbury, ourmagazine for alumni,friends and supporters ofthe University of Canterbury.The editors, Jeanette Colmanand Chanel Hughes, haveappreciated the very positivecomments received frommany readers and welcomethe story suggestions andalumni contact that haveflowed in.Partnerships with our alumni, and withbusinesses, research organisations,Government agencies and other stakeholdergroups are very important for a modernuniversity and are a growing strength forCanterbury. One very positive example isthe recent establishment of the ProvincialFinance Professorship in the College ofBusiness and Economics, a relationshipwhich builds on the links between theCollege, its alumni in the firm and theUniversity of Canterbury Foundation.As we move to diversify our income sources,the Provincial Finance Chair provides a goodmodel for the future. The University fundsthe core costs of the Chair and $100,000 ayear from the finance company is used tosupplement the professorial salary and tosupport a doctoral student and variousresearch projects. In return for the five-yearcommitment, the University provides namingrights to the Chair and works closely withthe donors on projects of mutual benefit.Such arrangements are not new of course.The Tait Chair in Communications wasestablished in 1994 thanks to a $1 milliongift from Tait Electronics founder andphilanthropist Sir Angus Tait.Other current examples are the Carter HoltHarvey Fellowship in Wood Structures, theNew Zealand Fire Service CommissionLectureship, the Transfund New ZealandFellow in Transportation, the LeicesterSteven EQC Lectureship in EarthquakeEngineering, the Holcim AdjunctProfessorship in Concrete Design and theCement and Concrete AssociationFellowship. As well as support for staffpositions there is also extensive business,industry and private funding of scholarships,prizes, travel grants and the like.The University values this support highlyand welcomes the opportunity to discusspossibilities with prospective financialsupporters. The University’s DevelopmentManager, Shelagh Murray, or any memberof the Senior Management Team would behappy to discuss possible partnerships.Partnership links are also significantbetween institutions and organisations.Academic staff contribute strongly to twoof New Zealand’s Centres for ResearchExcellence; our nanotechnology experts area major part of the MacDiarmid Centre forAdvanced Materials and Nanotechnology,and our biomathematicians are active in theAllan Wilson Centre.Other recent partnership developmentsinclude: the GeoHealth Laboratory,established in association with theMinistry of Health; the New Zealand FamilyViolence Clearinghouse, a joint projectwith the Ministry of Social Developmentand a number of social agencies; and theCentre for Bioengineering, which worksclosely with the Christchurch School ofMedicine and Health Studies.One recent example of internationalcollaboration featured in this issue ofthe magazine is the MOA project, a NewZealand-Japanese collaboration. Withsupport from Nagoya University andthree other New Zealand universities,Canterbury has installed New Zealand’slargest optical instrument at its Mt JohnUniversity Observatory. The new $7 milliontelescope will make Canterbury a majorplayer in the search for black holes, extrasolarplanets and the Universe’sdark matter.Other articles which exemplify thepartnership theme cover: the RhodesScholar exhibition, which highlightsour links with Oxford University; thecommunity-based multi-media projectthat led to the My Place exhibition andbook; the business linkages that led tocommercialisation of the “supernose”through the start-up companySyft Technologies Ltd; the Centre forBioengineering’s research on blood flowin the brain, which is attracting theattention of NASA; and the story of theOrigins of New Zealand English.In addition to the magazine, with its newsstories, alumni profiles and features onteaching and research, we have encloseda copy of UC in Profile, detailing the latestfacts and figures about the University. Icommend them both to you and trust youenjoy reading about your alma mater.Professor Roy SharpVice-Chancellor2 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 3

(Left to right) Paul White of the Ministry of Health’s Public Intelligence group and Dr Jamie Pearce, Director of the GeoHealth Lab,at the opening of the new facility.NZ’s first GeoHealth Lab opens atCanterbury UniversityResearch into the social and environmentaldeterminants of health and healthcare hasbeen given a boost with the opening ofNew Zealand’s first GeoHealth Laboratoryat the University of Canterbury.The GeoHealth Laboratory is a joint venture ofthe University’s Department of Geography andthe Public Health Intelligence group (PHI) ofthe Ministry of Health.The collaboration provides a resource thatis unique in the southern hemisphere,according to GeoHealth Laboratory Director,Dr Jamie Pearce.“The GeoHealth Laboratory brings together alarge group of people interested in GIS(Geographic Information Systems) and healthgeography which is an important part of ourteaching curriculum,” said Pearce. “In itssupport of the lab the Ministry recognises theUniversity’s pre-eminent role in the area. It willhelp us develop research and our researchprofile whilst assisting the Ministry indeveloping health polices to help address thekey health issues faced by all New Zealanders.”Research currently being undertaken by the labincludes studies into why New Zealand has thehighest incidence of melanoma in the world,assessment of road traffic accident reductionpolicy initiatives, and the ethnic differencesrelating to New Zealanders’ smoking habits.“Recent research has highlighted thatsmoking rates are highest among the mostsocially deprived communities in New Zealand,with particularly high rates among Mäori,”said Pearce.“Similarly, other work with Diabetes NewZealand has found that diabetes rates aresignificantly higher in New Zealand’s poorestcommunities and among Mäori and PacificIsland communities.“Other studies have found that both theexposure to, and health consequences of, airpollution in Christchurch are far higher in thepoorest neighbourhoods in Christchurch.”The Ministry is providing $400,000 to fund thelab for an initial three-year period. A researchmanager will be employed to oversee the laband to undertake specific research tasks forPHI. The money will also be used to help fundstudents working in health geography.Postgraduate scholarships will give studentsthe opportunity to undertake training andshort internships at PHI in Wellington.In addition, the University will provide trainingto PHI specifications for GIS staff from districthealth boards from around the country.New DeputyVice-ChancellorAn international authority onrespiratory diseases has been appointedDeputy Vice-Chancellor at the Universityof Canterbury.Professor Ian Town, former dean of Medicineand Health Science at the ChristchurchSchool of Medicine and Health Sciences, tookup his new post in April.Town has more than 20 years’ experience inacademia, health research and medicine.An internationally recognised researcher inrespiratory diseases, Town has a MBChB fromOtago University and a Doctor of Medicinedegree from the University of Southampton.He joined the Christchurch School ofMedicine and Health Sciences in 1990 andheld the position of dean from 2002.He is the Medical Director of the Asthma andRespiratory Foundation, a former director ofthe Canterbury Respiratory Research Groupand a fellow of the Royal Australian Collegeof Physicians.Town has been closely involved in jointprojects between Canterbury and Otagouniversities, such as the Brain ResearchInstitute, and was responsible for initiatinga Memorandum of Understanding signed bythe two universities in 2004.In 2001 he was awarded the MargaretCondliffe Memorial Prize from the Universityof Canterbury in recognition of his efforts tobuild academic collaborations in the region.Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Sharp saidTown had been chosen from an impressivefield of candidates after a worldwiderecruitment process.“I am confident he will continue the strongmomentum the University has achievedin the last two years, particularly in theresearch portfolio for which he has primaryresponsibility.“His experience in the New Zealanduniversity sector and his proven leadershipin research, teaching and administration suithim well to the DVC role.”Focus gives young All Black goal off the fieldUniversity gifted unique image of early rectorAn exquisite miniature of Sir JamesHight painted by his long-time friendand colleague Sir James Shelley has beendonated to the University of Canterbury.The miniature, dated October 1930, waspresented to the Macmillan Brown Library byDr Glyn Strange in accordance with a deathbedwish from Hight’s niece Mrs Eileen O’Malley.Strange got to know O’Malley whileresearching material for his book on theUniversity’s Little Theatre, which Shelleyfounded in the 1920s. Hight was the secondrector of the then Canterbury College from1928 to 1941. He first joined the staff as alecturer in 1909 and by 1919 was professor ofhistory and political science. His long serviceto the college ended in 1947.Shelley joined the staff in 1920 as professorof education and was to pioneer educationalchange in New Zealand. He also lectured in arthistory and dominated Christchurch dramaticcircles, founding the Canterbury CollegeDrama Society in 1921, and the CanterburyRepertory Theatre Society in 1928.It is believed the miniature was painted as atoken of friendship. Measuring just 62mm by49mm, it is painted on the reverse of the glassand is encased in a silk-lined leather box withhand-tooled decoration. The painting alsofeatures the University’s coat of arms.UC’s Registrar of Art Collections Ms Terri Eldersaid the miniature was in very good conditionand features “incredibly fine brush work”.She said the miniature was “unique” asthere were no others of similar format in thecollections. She said it also complementedthe other three images of Hight held by theUniversity: an etching by James Fitzgerald; apencil portrait by Rosa Sawtell; and the formalportrait by Elizabeth Kelly which hangs in theCouncil Chambers.The University also holds two images ofShelley in its art collections — a cartoon byWilliam Baverstock and a photograph bySteffano Webb.Strange said there had been talk of theminiature going to the Christchurch ArtGallery but said “the University is the rightplace for it”.He hoped that one day when the biography ofHight was written, the image drawn by a friend75 years ago might adorn the cover.You don’t become an All Black withoutgreat dedication.And dedicated was what Casey Laulala waswhen he passed up an opportunity to visit theSistine Chapel in Rome with his All Blackteam-mates in order to study for hisuniversity mathematics exam.The 23-year-old Crusaders midfielder receivedhis All Black call-up last October and joinedthe 32-man All Blacks squad on theirNovember tour of the northern hemisphere.While away, Laulala, who is studying for acommerce degree at the University ofCanterbury under a Canterbury RugbyFootball Union Scholarship, had to sit hismaths exam in a hotel room in Italy.“The All Blacks had the Sistine Chapel all tothemselves as a special treat but I had tomake a choice between studying or going,as the following day it was my exam.”He passed the paper and is currentlysqueezing in time for an economics paperalongside his rugby commitments.Laulala admits it wasn’t easy at first, jugglinghis study with training, but says he isdetermined now to put in the effort as herealises the importance of working towardsacademic, as well as sporting, goals.Dr Glyn Strange with the miniature of Sir James Hight.4 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 5

Summer turnsgolden for UCOpportunityUC Opportunity is reflecting on agolden summer.The promotional material designed toinspire people to enrol in the University’sCreative Summer Programme has alsoearned the team involved two marketingexcellence awards.UC Opportunity entered its CreativeSummer promotional material in the 2005Marketing Awards for Excellence run bythe University Continuing EducationAssociation, in Washington, USA.The team involved in the Creative Summercampaign, which included UC Opportunitydirector Geoff Pearman, CommunityEducation programme manager ElizabethTully, and Strategy Design and Advertisingin Christchurch, picked up a gold awardfor their poster and a silver award fortheir programme catalogue.UC Opportunity was formerly the Centrefor Continuing Education. The namechange reflects changes in the coursesoffered over recent years.“Continuing Education was no longera name that described what we wereabout,” said Pearman.He said UC Opportunity was an umbrellaname which captured the current rangeof programmes and could still accommodatenew programmes and activities.“We wanted a name that communicateda sense of value and a sense of purposethat would endure over time.”Farewell scholarship gift commemoratesHMNZS CanterburyThe name of HMNZS Canterbury will becommemorated thanks to a new scholarshipset up for students at the Universityof Canterbury.The prestigious HMNZS CanterburyScholarship has been established by theRoyal New Zealand Navy to mark the longand supportive relationship between theRNZN and the province of Canterbury.The new annual $10,000 award wasannounced at a colourful ceremony in Marchmarking the final visit of HMNZS Canterburyto her home port of Lyttelton.HMNZS Canterbury, the last steam-driven,Leander-class frigate in service, was on herfinal voyage before decommissioning inAuckland after 33 years of operational service.Announcing the scholarship, the ship’scommanding officer, Captain Peter Kempster,said it was a way of paying back theCanterbury region for its generous supportover a long period of time.“This is the navy’s way of investing in theyouth of today so they have the opportunityto be future leaders of our country. Webelieve that an investment in the young is aninvestment in the future of all of us,” he said.The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Roy Sharp,said the University was grateful for thesupport of high-potential students andthought the scholarship a very fitting wayto commemorate the frigate’s service andconnection with the province of Canterbury.“It represents an enduring legacy whichwill keep the name of HMNZS Canterburyto the fore. The recipients will be chosenwisely and I’m sure we will see them achieveprominence at a national level as they fulfiltheir leadership potential.”Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore said thescholarship was a great way to celebrate thespirit of the province, ensuring that spiritlived on in the students who were awardedthe scholarship.The HMNZS Canterbury Scholarship willbe awarded annually to an outstandingfirst-year student and will cover their fulltuition fees and a living allowance. Thescholarship can be awarded in any disciplineand does not require any commitment tomilitary service.The criteria are: academic excellence;evidence of leadership potential;involvement in sport, cultural and/orcommunity activities; demonstration ofthe RNZN values of comradeship, courageand commitment; and residency in theCanterbury province for the previous12 months.Photo courtesy of Royal New Zealand Navy.Audiology lecturer Greg O’Beirne tests both the new UC Audiology Centre and the hearing of Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Sharp.Hearing put to testUC’s Department of CommunicationDisorders hopes to address a shortage ofaudiologists with the introduction of a newMaster of Audiology programme.The postgraduate programme, offered for thefirst time in 2005, is only the second of its kindin the country. The two-year programme includescourse work, clinical and research experience.Course work will focus on hearing science andthe diagnosis and management of hearingdisorders. Students who complete the degreewill be qualified as entry-level audiologists andwill be eligible for provisional membership inthe New Zealand Audiological Society (NZAS).At the heart of the programme, is a new state-oftheart Audiology Centre which includes a testingbooth and hearing aid fitting/research laboratory.The centre is open to members of the public andUniversity staff can also have their hearing tested.New Zealand has a high ratio of hearingimpairedpeople to practising audiologists, andthe new Canterbury programme will go a longway towards addressing a national shortageof audiologists.One of the newest academic members of theprogramme is Dr Brian Kreisman who has a PhDin audiology from the University of Florida,Gainesville. Kreisman says the research lab isbetter than any he has seen in the USA.“We will look to bring in research grants fromhearing aid companies and listening devicecompanies from throughout New Zealand.”$3.5 million designof astronomicalproportionsInternational experts have approved thedesign by Physics and Astronomy staff at theUniversity of Canterbury of a component forwhat will be the world’s largest telescope.The 11-metre Southern African Large Telescope(SALT) currently under construction is ownedby a South African not-for-profit company ofwhich Canterbury University has a fourpercent shareholding.A panel of experts from the United States, theUnited Kingdom, Germany and South Africa metrecently in Christchurch to review the designof the high resolution spectrograph and gaveunanimous technical approval for constructionto begin.The instrument will take the light from starsand galaxies in the southern sky and will beused by UC astronomers and their colleaguesat other SALT partner institutions. It will helpthem research the number of extra-solar planetsand the origins of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen,among other things.The head of UC’s Physics and AstronomyDepartment, Professor Phil Butler, is delightedthat the design has been approved.“This team has worked tirelessly for more thantwo years to achieve this fantastic outcome.”The instrument that has been designed atCanterbury University is valued at about$3.5 million.Celebrations as students begin the circle of learningStudents started their UC education thisyear at the Christchurch Town Hall wherethey will return later for graduation,completing the circle of learning.For the first time the University ofCanterbury held a civic reception atthe Christchurch Town Hall to welcomenew students and their families into theUniversity community.The feel-good factor was strongthroughout the 90-minute ceremony withthe students encouraged to become fullyinvolved in all aspects of University life.The event weaved together a bi-culturalwelcome by Assistant Vice-Chancellor(Mäori) Sir Tipene O’Regan, a formalUniversity welcome by Chancellor Dr RobinMann, Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Sharpand UCSA President George Hampton,and a welcome to the City by ChristchurchMayor Garry Moore.Sir Tipene told the students to makethe most of their time at University as“graduation will come faster thanyou think”.The ceremony kicked off a “Week ofWelcome” activities for new students,including special orientation programmesfor student groups such as Mäori, Pacific,adult, international and young studentsstraight from high school.“Becoming a student is an importantlifestyle change with sacrifices,commitment and high expectations bythe student,” said Val Harding, Directorof Student Services.“The Week of Welcome programme andthe welcome ceremony at the Town Hall,are a way to show the students that theUniversity values them, plus has thesupport systems in place to make theirtransition to University life easier, and atthe same time we can have a little fun.”6 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 7

AutumnGraduationAcomputer scientist sometimesreferred to as the “Gridfather”and one of New Zealand’smost inventive, forceful and prodigiousartists were among those honoured atthe University of Canterbury’s fourautumn capping ceremonies in April.Professor Ian Foster, a UC alumnuswho has become one of the world’sleading computer scientists, receivedan honorary Doctor of Sciencedegree. Barry Cleavin, whose passionfor printmaking was first fired atCanterbury University’s School of FineArts, received an honorary Doctor ofLetters degree.The two were among more than1500 students who graduated at theChristchurch Town Hall ceremonies.A further 430 graduated in absentia.For one student, the path tograduation began two decades ago ina tiny, remote village in south-westernBhutan.Nima Tshering, who graduated with aMaster of Engineering in Management,began his education at the age of eightand had to walk three-and-a-half hourseach way to school.“The journey through jungle, mud,rain, and darkness, six days a weekfor more than five years, was thechallenge of a lifetime. Losing bloodto leeches was tough, but wishing that ahungry bear would not eat me up on theway was a wish I had to make every day.”Another graduate for whomperseverance paid dividends wasAnthony Moore. He began hisuniversity studies in 1964 but was onlyspurred on to fi nish his commercedegree as he watched his children entertertiary study. At the age of 59 hegraduated with a BCom, alongside hisson Charles (BA and LLB) and daughterCaroline (BCom).Graduation addresses were given byFoster, Cleavin, UC’s new Deputy Vice-Chancellor Ian Town and UniversityCouncil member Dr Paddy Austin.Austin told graduates that althoughthey may feel graduation marked theending, as “time goes on, you realise itis only the beginning”.“Like all forms of qualification, theimportant thing is what you do with it— how you use it to build your futureand contribute to your society; howyou use it to create further successand achievement.“Adventure and opportunity liebefore you — you just have to lookfor them. And when you fi nd them,suppress the desire to turn and run.”The graduation ceremonies markedan end of an era for Registrar AlanHayward who retires at the end of July.Vice-Chancellor Professor RoySharp took a moment during the fi nalceremony to acknowledge that it wasthe last time Hayward would be onstage handing out certificates andclapping for each and every graduatein turn.“By my calculations Alan hasattended over 100 ceremonies andhanded out certificates on the stage forabout 72 of them,” Sharp said.The invitation to acknowledgeHayward’s long involvement withgraduation was greeted with thunderousapplause from those gathered in theTown Hall auditorium.Alma Mater salutes originator of grid computingPrintmaker grateful for learning environmentAmerican-based Professor Ian Fosterreturned to his Alma Mater in April toreceive a Doctor of Science (honoris causa)in recognition of his remarkable careerand contribution to computer science.In recent times Foster has distinguishedhimself through his work internationally ongrid computing. For this he was awarded theBritish Computer Society’s Lovelace Medalin 2002.Grid computing is the high-speed networkingequivalent to the electric power grid.It provides the mechanism for unusedcomputing power to be fed into a pool anddistributed among computer users in need ofadditional computing power.Newsweek magazine once described Foster asa founding father of the grid, while anotherpublication referred to him as “the Gridfather”.Foster graduated from Canterbury Universityin 1980 with a BSc(Hons) and went on to gaina PhD in computer science from ImperialCollege London.He is currently the Arthur Holly ComptonDistinguished Service Professor of ComputerScience at the University of Chicago andleads the Distributed Systems Laboratoryat Argonne National Laboratory inArgonne, USA.Among his many activities is leadershipof the open source Globus Toolkit, widelyused software for grid computing. Foster isalso Chief Open Source Strategist at UnivaCorporation, a company he founded withother Globus leaders to foster and promotethe adoption of Globus as the premier opensource grid technology.Presenting the citation, Professor Tim David(Mechanical Engineering) described Foster asa “gifted visionary”.He described vision as “the ability to lookbeyond the next couple of years and to viewnot only that which is required to solvesome of science’s greatest problems but todefine it and explain it to those of us who areinterested or who need it”.In accepting his honorary doctorate, Fosterpaid tribute to his first university.“A strong contributor to what success I haveachieved is the outstanding education that Ireceived at the University of Canterbury. Thusit is not only an honour but also a pleasure tobe recognised by this exceptional institution,and to return to see how it has prosperedsince I left.”Foster told graduates that they wereembarking on a new phase in their liveswhere they would face major decisions.Chancellor Dr Robin Mann (left) presents Professor IanFoster with his honorary Doctor of Science degree.He urged graduates not to be afraid to seekout the hard options.“When I face a choice between somethingeasy and something hard, I remind myselfthat life is too short for easy things, and tryto seek out a task for which success is notguaranteed. In my experience at least, thingsthat are harder tend to be both more interestingand more satisfying.”Leading New Zealand printmaker BarryCleavin has been awarded an honoraryDoctor of Letters degree in recognition ofhis work as an artist as well as a teacher.Cleavin’s passion for printmaking dates backto 1963 and his first year of study atCanterbury University’s School of Fine Arts.He has pursued his passion for printmakingwith undiminished vigour for more than 40years and has made a substantialcontribution to the enhancement ofprintmaking’s standing in New Zealand.Presenting the citation, Dean ofPostgraduate Study Professor David Gunbysaid Cleavin was a “figurative artist,combining meticulous skills as a draftsman,and as an intaglio printmaker, with animagination which embraces a wide range ofsubject matter and of sources and influences”.After graduating with a Diploma of Fine Arts,Cleavin trained as a secondary school teacherand taught art at Timaru Boys’ High Schooluntil 1970 when he took up an appointmentat the Christchurch Polytechnic. Between 1978and 1990 Cleavin was senior lecturer inprintmaking at Canterbury’s School ofFine Arts.Gunby described Cleavin as “a charismaticteacher, always advancing the cause ofBarry Cleavin (centre) celebrates his honorary doctorate with the University Chancellor Dr Robin Mann (left)and Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Sharp.printmaking, and inspiring many students totake it up”. As head of printmaking, heforged important links between the schooland leading New Zealand artists such asRalph Hotere. His former students includewell known artists Marian Maguire, MartyVreeder, Jason Greig, Amanda Floyd, DeniseCopeland, Jan White and Euan McLeod.In accepting his honorary doctorate, Cleavinthanked the University for recognising thework of an artisan and for “its indulgence andbelief in me as a product”.“I am one of those who stand and laterallystare at life. I try to make some sense of it allvia my idiosyncratic visual translations. Idedicate this reflection to the freedom thateach of us has in this country — in our ownway — to make sense of matters as theycome to pass, and the freedom to commentupon such things.”8 Canterbury MagazineWinter 2005 9

Graduation quiz gets the Nelson TouchBack to Bhutan to help with Gross National HappinessBy Maria HandThe Battle of Trafalgar pales incomparison with the war of wits atthe University of Canterbury AlumniAssociation’s annual quiz.You could almost hear the cannons roarand the sails shredding in a grapeshotbreeze as 21 teams battled it out inthe 2005 Macfarlane Dougall StringerCanterbury Challenge on 14 April.Held in the Students’ Association (UCSA)Ballroom, resplendent in Georgian/Regency décor in celebration of the 200thanniversary of Horatio Nelson’s gloriousvictory, the quiz drew contenders fromaround the campus for the prize of theCanterbury Challenge Cup.Quiz Mistress Kathryn Dalziel (Law),doing a Jane Austen turn à la KittyBennet, took the teams of five throughthree rounds of questions, covering thegamut from Winnie-the-Pooh to The Illiad,Fermat’s “Last Theorem” and the SicilianDefence. The elegantly attired Barockband, led by Associate Professor Tim Bell(Computer Science) chimed in with musicalquestions, including the appropriate 1974ABBA hit, “Waterloo”, and Tchaikovsky’s“1812 Overture”, as well as providingentertainment between rounds.After a fierce combat, it was “The NelsonColumnists” (Communications andDevelopment) who sailed home on theHMS Victory, , with “Scumbag College”(Chemistry) and “The Scabbards”(Information Technology) trailing narrowlyin their wake in second and third placerespectively. “The Ship Rats” (InternationalOffice) showed they were no ship-jumpersthough they could not squeak home in thethird-place tie-breaker. They were followedclosely by “HMS Victory” hopefulsrepresenting the English Language Centre,and the 2004 Canterbury Challenge Cupdefenders, “The Ilam Hardys” (Law), whosechips were down in spite of a valiant effort.“The Rutherfords of Nelson” (Physics andAstronomy) took Best Team Title with theirphysicist twist on the Nelson theme, while“BSEC Battalion” (College of Business andEconomics) fought off close competitionamong the assorted Napoleons, Nelsonsand Lady Hamiltons for Best Dressed Teamwith their colourful self-made creations.Guests enjoyed complimentary nibblescourtesy of major sponsor MacfarlaneDougall Stringer Barristers and Solicitors,and a bottle of wine per team fromWaipara Wines.The Alumni Association stages theCanterbury Challenge each year as partof the graduation festivities, and isvery grateful for support from the localbusiness community. This year’s prizes andpromotion were sponsored by CanterburyUniversity Press, the UCSA, The FudgeCottage, The Caxton Press, Photo andVideo International, The University BookShop, and Vivace Designer Coffee.Photo: Matt WaltersWhen Nima Tshering was seven years oldhis grandmother whispered a prayer forhim before she died. She prayed that hewould do well in life and be “somebody”.When Tshering graduated in April with aMaster of Engineering in Management fromthe University of Canterbury his grandmother’sprayer was uppermost in his mind.“I feel her prayers are being answered. I havebecome the ‘somebody’ of my grandmother’slast prayer.”Tshering is UC’s only student from theHimalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, a countrynestled between China and India which isseven times smaller than New Zealand andabout six times smaller in population.Tshering grew up in the remote village ofBemphu in south-western Bhutan with noroads, electricity or telephone lines. Butdespite these odds stacked against himTshering has made “somebody” of himselfbecause of his country’s free education system.“Bhutan’s free education has made all thedifference. It has been my road to success,my guiding light to pursue my dreams andmy communication line to share my dreamsbeyond boundaries.”While Tshering had free education, it was farfrom on his doorstep. He began his schoolingwhen he was eight years old and he had towalk three-and-a-half hours each way toschool. A typical school day would start withrooster’s crow at 3.30am and by 4.30am hewould begin his trek to school.“The journey through jungle, mud, rain, anddarkness, six days a week for more than fiveyears, was the challenge of a lifetime.”The humble scholar says that, despite all therisks, while education was free he believed itwas “worth pursuing at any cost”.“Many people give up in the face ofadversity and hardship but hard work doespay off someday and there is no short cut togetting educated.”Throughout his schooling Tshering studiedhard and topped exams from his own schoolright through to national exams. It was athigh school that he started dreaming ofgoing abroad to study.“From my village me and my sister werethe first two kids to go beyond high schoolever. It is not enough to work hard, you needto have the opportunity and you take thatopportunity.”Hard work paid off for Tshering when he wasawarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarshipto study toward a Bachelor of ElectricalEngineering at the University of Kansasfrom 1998 to 2002.After graduating in Kansas Tshering returnedto Bhutan where he tutored His RoyalHighness Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuckof Bhutan before assuming his permanentjob at the Department of InformationTechnology of Bhutan, where he workedfor a year before coming to New Zealand 15months ago.Tshering won a New Zealand Agency forInternational Development Scholarship toundertake postgraduate study at UC.His Master’s project was to develop astrategic plan for the Tarayana Foundation,a not-for-profit organisation establishedby Bhutan’s monarch, which is responsiblefor supplementing and complementing theBhutanese Government’s efforts to alleviatepoverty. With 32% of Bhutan’s populationmaterially poor (earning under US$1 a day)poverty reduction is at the heart of everydevelopment strategy.“In Bhutan wemeasure notin terms ofGross DomesticProduct but in terms of GrossNational Happiness. We take avery holistic approach.”Tshering returned last monthto his homeland to resume hisgovernment job and continue his“labour of love” for the TarayanaFoundation. He wants to use hisqualifications to make the grossnational happiness vision a reality.Tshering believeswhen you do well you shouldbenchmark your goalhigher, so he looks onhis graduation as justone more step on his“learning journey”.“I would call it ahuge milestonein my life. It’s likeSir Edmund Hillaryclimbing Everest; itwas a new height inhis life but not theend of his life.It’s similar forme, it’s a hugemilestone, butit’s not theend.”Tshering says his ultimate goal would be tobecome prime minister, the position fromwhich this “village boy” could make themost difference.For those wanting to learn more about Bhutan,Tshering has made a donation to theUniversity’s Rare Books Collection. It is asigned copy of the book Of Rainbows and Clouds,written by the Queen of Bhutan, Her MajestyAshi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, whichTshering says offers “an illuminating windowon Bhutanese culture, society and history”.“I’d like this book to represent a symbol offurther friendship between the peoples of theLand of the Long White Cloud (New Zealand)and the Land of the Peaceful Dragon (Bhutan).”10 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 11

War onWeaponsAngela Woodward wagesbattle daily against thespread of munitions andbiological warfare.Maria Hand reports.Angela Woodward’s wish is for aworld without weapons. And itis not the kind of hollow wishfor peace a beauty pageant entrantmight make. This is a young womanwho means business.The 32-year-old Canterbury law andarts graduate is Deputy Director of theVerification Research, Training andInformation Centre (VERTIC) inLondon and Chair of the Geneva-basedBioWeapons Prevention Project (BWPP).Her rapid rise to the top ranks hascome through hard work and a deepseatedpassion for preventing the spreadof weapons.Watching the sinking of the RainbowWarrior on television in 1985 had a greatimpact on a 12-year-old Woodward,inspiring her future career path.“After seeing the horrific acts ofviolence occurring in places likeAfghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon,day after day on TV during the 1980s,it was a shock to see the result of anattack on New Zealand. The image ofthe Rainbow Warrior listing in AucklandHarbour, and knowing that someonehad actually been killed, was a wakeupcall that power politics can reachNew Zealand.”During her high school years,Woodward followed world issues closelyand when she enrolled at the Universityof Canterbury in 1991, decided to takepolitical science as part of her BA.“I thought it would be a fi ller, but thefirst few months of the course reallyopened my eyes to the way the worldworks, the imbalance of power, theinjustices, and I soon realised I wouldgo on to major in it.”Woodward was back in Christchurchearlier this year as part of a tour ofNew Zealand centres with BWPP globalnetwork co-ordinator Chandré Gould,briefi ng groups on biological threatsand initiating discussion nationally onhow civil society can act to prevent theuse of biology and biotechnology forhostile purposes.Woodward says she always hoped tobe in this sort of job, and it all fell intoplace through Kate Dewes, a lecturer inthe Peace Studies Programme, whointroduced her to an arms controlanalyst visiting from the UK.“When I arrived in London on myOE she told me about some internshipsand vacancies I could apply for.”Woodward’s first job out ofuniversity was as a programme assistantbased at the University of Southampton,providing administrative support to amajor project of the MountbattenCentre for International Studies (MCIS)on nuclear non-proliferation.After a little over a year there shestarted at VERTIC in April 1999 as anadministrator, then legal researcher, andwas appointed an arms control anddisarmament researcher (chemical andbiological) in October last year. Shebegan this year with a promotion toDeputy Director and is currently acting Director while theyrecruit a new Executive Director.VERTIC is an independent, non-profit, non-governmentalorganisation that promotes effective and efficient verificationas a means of ensuring confidence in the implementationof international and intra-national agreements. It advisescountries on measures to comply with United Nationsand various treaty requirements on weapons control anddisarmament, and liaises with the international organisationsthat conduct treaty verification to propose improvements tocompliance monitoring systems.Woodward researches the legal aspects of treatynegotiation, implementation and verification, as well asthe adoption of national legislation to implement treatyobligations. Her current work focuses on agreementsprohibiting biological and chemical weapons. In addition,she monitors the implementation of agreements regulatingsmall arms and light weapons.Her specialty area is biological weapons. During her earlyyears at VERTIC she completed a Master of Laws degree atthe London School of Economics and her dissertation on“Verification of alleged biological weapons use” earned hera New Zealand Peace and Disarmament Education Trust(PADET) scholarship, funded by the French government’sreparation for the Rainbow Warrior bombing. The irony isnot lost on her.Through her role at VERTIC Woodward was involvedin the initial discussions that led to the creation of the civilsociety network BWPP, of which she was elected Chair inMay 2004.The BWPP is a global civil society activity that aims tostrengthen the norm against using disease as a weapon. Itwas initiated by a group of non-governmental organisationsconcerned at the failure of governments to act.Unlike the treaties prohibiting nuclear and chemicalweapons, the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)does not provide for a permanent body for monitoring andverifying states’ compliance with the agreement, so theBWPP has assumed the role of monitoring the activitiesof governments and others to discourage and prevent thedevelopment or use of biological weapons.“International efforts to effectively prevent the developmentof bioweapons are faltering at the moment and the treatyis being seriously undermined, primarily by the United States,which is focusing on the threat from non-state actors. Theexponential growth of US biodefence activities combinedwith the lack of transparency could fuel a bioweapons armsrace. The BWPP is trying to get civil society in countriesaround the world to pressure governments to take strongaction. We simply don’t have effective verification systemsin place to routinely monitor states’ compliance withbioweapons prohibitions.”Through both her “day job” at VERTIC and her workwith BWPP Woodward has travelled the world extensively,including much of Europe, the United States, Asia, SouthAfrica and Nicaragua.One of her most exciting assignments is taking partin the UK “Practice Challenge Inspections” exercises forthe Ottawa Landmine Convention (OLC). This involvesstaying on military bases around the country and observinginspections held at Defence Munitions sites, many of whichare subterranean bunkers.Having worked closely on aspects of the 1997 OttawaLandmine Convention, Woodward attended the OLCannual Meeting of State Parties from 1999 to 2003, whichis alternatively hosted by the UN facilities in Geneva and inlandmine-affected states.Woodward says the 2001 meeting in Nicaragua was themost challenging as it started a week after the September 11terrorist attack on America.“The conference organisers had arranged for participants toattend an exercise at a military base outside Managua, wherewe witnessed the destruction of the last remaining landminestockpile and saw specially trained dogs searching for buriedmines in a mock minefield.“I was sitting right behind the [Nicaraguan] President.I thought, if someone takes a pot-shot at him, I’m right inthe line of fire.”Being young, a woman and a New Zealander, in anenvironment where she is often rubbing shoulders withworld leaders, politicians and government officials, creates nobarriers for Woodward. She says the informal Kiwi approachoften helps break the ice in tense situations and it is a bonusthat her homeland is supportive of the issues she promotes inher work.“New Zealand is a well-respected country with a reasonedopinion on these issues. I’m lucky my state is responsive. Itis difficult for my American colleagues to approach theirgovernment officials.”Woodward hopes to be back in New Zealand later thisyear to hold a follow-up series of public meetings. She saysthere will be more active courting of the press during that visitin order to create a “groundswell” of support for the issue.“The rapid developments in the biological sciences willaffect us all — mainly for good, with the development ofimproved medicines and vaccines; but potentially for bad,as the same techniques and materials have the potential tobe used for hostile purposes. There is a need for increasedvigilance by governments and all sectors of society, and actiontaken where necessary to ensure that this doesn’t happen.”Woodward recently applied for UK citizenship and hopesto continue working in arms control and disarmament, butplans to return to New Zealand in a few years’ time, with aneye to working in government.Left: Angela Woodward was back on campus earlier this year briefing groups onbiological threats.12 Canterbury MagazineWinter 2005 13

Canterbury brain research excites NASABy Jeanette ColmanCracking down on violenceBy John MacDonaldAn advanced 3D computer model ofblood flow in the brain developed at theUniversity of Canterbury has grabbed theattention of NASA scientists.A team led by Professor Tim David, Directorof the Centre for Bioengineering, has beeninvited by the American space agency tobid for advanced work for the DigitalAstronaut Project.The project seeks to create comprehensive,integrated models of human body functionsto better understand how various parts ofthe body work together — from the cellularlevel to organs to the whole body.Scientists at NASA Ames Research Centre inCalifornia are very interested in the brainmodel developed at Canterbury. The model,which looks at how blood is distributedthroughout the brain, was initially developedas a tool to understand the factors whichincrease the likelihood of strokes.Most strokes are caused when a blood clottravels through the bloodstream and blocksa blood vessel within the brain. Usingcomputer models of blood flow through thebrain, UC researchers hope to predict thepaths that blood clots take when flowingfrom the arteries in the neck to those inthe brain.The research is focused on a ring-likearterial structure located in thebase of the brain, known as theCircle of Willis.The circle is of particular importance as itallows blood to be re-routed through arteriesin order to maintain oxygen supply shouldthe blood supply be reduced.Maintaining just the right amount of bloodsupply is important. Even though the braincomprises just 2% of the body’s total mass,it requires 20% of the blood output from theheart. If the brain is starved of this bloodsupply for more than a few minutes braincells can become permanently damaged.Blood is transferred around the body by oursystemic blood pressure and this pressureremains fairly constant throughout our dailyroutine. However, it does alter when westand up quickly, for example, or exercise.The brain has a way of ensuring that it getsexactly the right amount of blood bycontracting or dilating the small arteries inresponse to higher or lower than normalblood pressure. This is termed autoregulationand is very important inmaintaining a healthy supply ofnutrients to the brain.The Canterbury group hasreceived $155,000 from theNeurological Foundation ofNew Zealand to studyEmbolic pathways.“We are exploring therelationship between the arterialgeometry in your brain andhow small blood particles movefrom the large artery in the neck upinto the brain,” David explained.An advanced 3D computer model wasdeveloped from Magnetic ResonanceImaging (MRI) data and uses a techniqueknow as Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) to model the blood flow through theCircle of Willis. Using auto-regulation themodel can predict the flow of blood goingto the brain and the paths of the smallblood particles.“To our knowledge, we are the only groupin the world which has a 3D blood flowauto-regulated model of the brain,”said David.“These models may lead to the developmentof important diagnostic tools in the future.“It is quite fundamental at the moment butwe believe that in the long term it will helppeople who, for one reason or another, aregoing to have a stroke. Our hypothesis isthere may be certain geometrical variationsof the Circle of Willis which predisposepeople to have worse strokes than if theyhad a different geometry.”NASA is interested in using the model toassess the affect of gravitational stresson astronauts.“The question that needs to be answered iswhat affect long periods of micro-gravityhave on an astronaut. We know that muscleatrophy happens in quite a short period oftime — in the order of 40 to 60 days; yet amanned mission to Mars could take about 15months. If micro-gravity affects the musclesin the legs, the heart and the chest, whataffect does it have on the muscles in ourarteries? How do prolonged periods in spaceaffect a person’s cardiovascular system?”If the collaboration with NASA gets the greenlight, UC researchers will have access toNASA’s newest supercomputer, Columbia,one of the world’s mostpowerful productionsupercomputers.Unveiled last October,the new supercomputer iscomprised of an integrated cluster of20 interconnected SGI Altix 512-processorsystems, for a total of 10,240 Intel Itanium2 processors.David saw the supercomputer in action ona recent trip to the Ames Research Centre andwas able to give some brain geometry toNASA scientists to test.“If everything goes ahead we will be utilisingthe supercomputer to generate flow studies.”Research that began in Canterbury may oneday help man reach Mars.Left: Coloured pathlines show when an artery leading tothe brain is partially blocked: blue is low speed, red is high.Director of the University of Canterbury’sTe Awatea Violence Research Centre, DrKate van Heugten, is fairly sanguine aboutthe sometimes inconclusive nature of herresearch work.“When, as a young person, I considered whatI might do, I wanted something which wouldengage my intellect and passions for the restof my life.“I thought working in the area of humansocial interaction would be challenging andwould be something that I would never beable to get to the bottom of.“It is complex, there are many factorsinvolved, and it should sustain my interestfor a lifetime.”It is an interest that has taken her from thefrontline of social work, helping people dealwith the consequences of all manner ofviolent behaviour, to the working life of asenior lecturer, researcher, and now leaderof a team of like-minded academics.“Many of us here at Te Awatea have practisedprior to academic life, many of us in the fieldof violence, and it wasn’t something whichled us to lose hope.“In order to want to undertake research in afield like this, you do have to have a certainamount of faith in human beings.”In a move that will allow researchers tocapitalise on their hopes and faith, the Ministryof Social Development has contracted Te Awateaand Canterbury University’s InformationTechnology Services to spearhead the estab-lishment of a national centre for collating anddisseminating information on family violence.The New Zealand Family Violence Clearing-house will provide resources for peopleworking to eliminate violence within families.It will collect, collate and distribute familyviolence research and other informationfrom a variety of sources, such as academicresearchers, government departments andnon-governmental organisations.The establishment of the New ZealandFamily Violence Clearinghouse has emergedfrom the Government’s Te Rito New ZealandFamily Violence Prevention Strategy, whichhighlighted the need for centralisinginformation on family violence.Van Heugten says Te Awatea is well placed tobecome involved in the clearinghouse project.“The research centre has always had a vision tobe a centre that disseminates information toacademics, to the public and to practitioners –in a sense much like a clearinghouse.“I think there has been a gradual movementover time to become more consistent interms of collecting information and to haveinformation more centrally accessible, andbecause we’re in the electronic age it is alsosomething which has become much morepossible now.“Inevitably, if knowledge is not collectedcentrally, it is likely there will be an amountof duplication. There may be research sittingon shelves that we may not be aware of.That’s part of the vision of the clearinghouse,to give researchers and practitioners greateraccess to work which has already been doneso they can put it to good use and build on it.”While the clearinghouse will be a majorproject, Te Awatea’s research interests arenot restricted to family violence.“It’s all types of interpersonal violence thatwe are concerned with. It doesn’t mean thatwe don’t recognise that there are such thingsas war and combat, or organised internationalviolence, but that’s not the focus for us. Ourfocus is interpersonal violence, domesticviolence, violence within the professions, youthand violence, older persons and violence. Mediarepresentation of violence, female offending,and critical exploration of bi-cultural issuesare topical concerns — those are the researchinterests of the people working here.”Van Heugten is currently researchingworkplace violence amongst social workers.“We have known for some considerable time,of course, that social workers can be at thereceiving end of the violence of their clients.“I believe, internationally, this is somethingwhich hasn’t been researched beforewith respect to social workers.”Van Heugten says, like otherresearchers, she and hercolleagues at Te Awatea arefaced with ethical issues.“You have to take accountalways of the moralimplications of yourresearch because thereare costs and benefits. Iam really mindful in mybullying research thatrespondents shouldn’tend up fighting battlesin the civil court overwhat I produce.“But the researchhas to have integrity— it has to be real andhonest. It is complex.Understandingwhat is occurringis complex also.We draw on alarge field ofknowledge thatis helpful, but itcan be confusing.Essentially, whatwe do is makea contribution.”14 Canterbury MagazineWinter 2005 15

By Amelia NormanUniversity of Canterbury professor Rick Millane haslong had a passion for gliding. He gained his pilot’slicence more than 20 years ago but is modest abouthis skill: “I’m nowhere near as good as these guys,” he says,pointing to a photo of renowned US adventurer Steve Fossettand his co-pilot Einar Enevoldson.That may be so, after all Fossett and retired NASA testpilotEnevoldson are among the world’s most experiencedglider pilots and are currently aiming to exceed the worldaltitude record for gliding.But whilst he may not be joining them in the sky, Millaneand several students are keeping tabs on the pair’s progress,recording and analysing details of the record attempts withthe help of specialised data logging equipment.The equipment, created by Jim Murray from California’sNASA Dryden Flight Research Centre, is installed inFossett’s glider and has enabled Millane and his students inthe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering toobtain and analyse fl ight and meteorological data gatheredduring some of the glider’s fl ights.Among other things, the equipment measures the aircraft’sposition, air speed, and the temperature and pressure ofthe air. The team at Canterbury use what is called “signalprocessing” to analyse this data and extract the informationthey want.The team’s main focus is on what is known as “mountainwave”, a meteorological phenomenon that occurs mostprominently in South America, California and in the SouthIsland of New Zealand.When wind from a certain direction hits a mountain range(for example, when a north-westerly wind meets the SouthernAlps), the airflow is forced upwards and over the mountaintop. Once over the mountain, the air oscillates in wave-likepatterns that can extend 10-15 kilometres upwards.To those on the ground, mountain waves are apparent inthe form of Canterbury’s Nor’west Arch cloud formation,which is the wave’s front edge.Glider pilots position their aircraft in the rising partof mountain waves in order to be lifted upwards by thesmooth airflow, subsequently reaching higher altitudes. Thearea beneath the wave, called “rotor”, consists of invisibleturbulence that is potentially dangerous to light aircraft.Mountain wave occurs in the airspace directly above Earth,which is called the troposphere. Above this, at about 50,000 feetabove Earth (approximately 15,000 metres), is a type of shieldcalled the tropopause. The tropopause puts a lid on mountainwave, theoretically preventing pilots from reaching any higherthan 50,000 feet — the current altitude record for gliding.However, the aim of Fossett and Enevoldson, in whatthey have dubbed the Perlan Project, is to double thisrecord, reaching 100,000 feet, thereby breaking through thetropopause and reaching the next layer, the stratosphere.To do this, they hope to use another local atmosphericphenomenon called the polar vortex: a high level circulationof air around the South Pole that spreads north in winter tothe South Island.In the past three years, the pair has unsuccessfullyattempted their record-breaking feat several times fromOmarama in the Mackenzie Country, where Millane fi rstdiscovered the project and made contact with Enevoldson.The combination of good mountain wave, proximity to thepolar vortex, and assistance from New Zealand’s experiencedmountain wave glider pilots, such as Canterbury fl ier TerryDelore, is the reason the project was based in Omarama.However, due to the lack of success thus far, the team’s nextattempt is likely to be in Argentina.Left: Professor Rick Millane and student George Stirling are working on analysingmountain waves. Right: Pilot Steve Fossett readies for launch in the Perlan ProjectGlaser–Dirks DG 505 glider at the Omarama airfield.The main aim of the Canterbury team’s data analysis is toincrease scientific knowledge of mountain wave, which hasimplications for weather forecasting and ozone depletion,among other things.To do this, students are mapping out the position of thewave and its relation to the position of the mountain range.The information gathered during the fl ights also enables themto study the structure of mountain waves.Student George Stirling is working on this project in thefi nal year of his electrical engineering degree. He and fellowPhoto: Professor Rick Millanestudent Richard Brown have developed softwareand methods of analysing the glider’s fl ight data,enabling them and others to view the wind’s speedand direction both horizontally and vertically.Although he knew nothing about glidingbefore embarking on this project, Stirling nowhas a keen interest in both the sport and the dataanalysis process. “It’s defi nitely an area I’d like toget into in the future,” he says. A highlight of theproject so far has been his fi rst gliding experience,which Millane took him on in Omarama lastsummer. “It was pretty amazing,” he says.Millane says the project involves complex dataanalysis. “That process is quite technical. We usea variety of techniques that involve data recordingand analysis and computer programming.“It enables students to utilise the skills they’vebeen learning, such as software development anddata and signal processing. The students are veryenthusiastic about it.”Looking to the future, Millane hopes to gainsuitable funding to allow those at Canterburywho are involved in the project to do their ownglider fl ights. “That’s what we’re aiming for.Otherwise we’re depending on other people’sfl ights which are always for a different purposethan ours,” he adds.Millane completed a PhD in electricalengineering at the University of Canterbury in1981. He then moved to the United States to workon the academic staff at Purdue University for 20years. He returned to New Zealand in 2001 tojoin the University of Canterbury’s Departmentof Electrical and Computer Engineering and waspromoted to professor in 2003.Fossett, who is a Chicago-born millionaireadventurer, already holds numerous world glidingrecords with Delore, as well as various recordsin sailing and aviation. In March this year hecompleted the first solo round-the-world fl ight.This is the University of Canterbury’s secondinvolvement with the Perlan Project. In 2003Fossett’s team contacted the Physics and AstronomyDepartment about its use of an unmanned gliderthat gathered atmospheric samples.Photo: Powers UnlimitedPhoto: Professor Rick MillaneAbove: The Perlan Project glider in flight with the Southern Alps in the background.Below: The Perlan Project glider during launch at the Omarama Airfield in the Mackenzie Country.16 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 17

The centenary celebration of the Rhodes Scholarship in New Zealand gives pause to reflect on an astonishing legacy. By Chanel Hughes.The University of Canterbury played host to some of thecountry’s brightest and best in March with the stagingof a National Library Gallery exhibition celebrating100 years of the Rhodes Scholarship in New Zealand.Renowned scientists, engineers, medical practitioners,historians, writers, academics, politicians, Olympians andAll Blacks were in abundance in the biographical snapshots of‘A Civilising Mission’ New Zealanders and the Rhodes Scholarship1904-2004.First launched in Wellington in 2004 by formergovernor-general Sir Michael Hardie Boys, the touringexhibition introduces a representative group of New ZealandRhodes Scholars chosen from each of the decades since thescholarship’s inauguration. It illustrates in fascinating, oftenpoignant, and highly inspirational detail the significantcontributions these individuals have made, eloquentlydemonstrating, as the introduction states, that although grandutopian visions are seldom realised, investment in educationwill always pay off.One of the most illustrious prizes of academia, the RhodesScholarship was founded on the benefaction and vision ofBritish imperialist and diamond tycoon Cecil Rhodes. Whenhe died in 1902, it was discovered with some astonishmentthat he had bequeathed almost all of his ₤6 million fortuneto bring “young Colonists” to study in Oxford’s halls — not“merely bookworms” but scholars who possessed the rightblend of intellect, athleticism, morals and confidence, and whowould, thereafter, “esteem the performance of public duties as[their] highest aim”, or, as he expressed in a private letter, “theright men for the world’s fight”.The 52 scholars were initially chosen from South Africa,the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia and NewZealand. Various acts of parliament eventually counteractedthe rampant colonialist element of Rhodes’ Will to ensure theeligibility of students of non-white ethnicities (from 1929) andfemale students (from 1977), and to provide scholarships inother countries of the Commonwealth.Today, the Rhodes Trust provides for 87 scholars annually,selected from 14 countries, with three places allocated toNew Zealand.Since 1904, there have been 187 New Zealand RhodesScholars, 36 of them from Canterbury. Three featurein the exhibition: Olympic gold medallist Dr SelwynMaister; Professor Benedict Kingsbury, a leading expert ininternational indigenous peoples’ law; and Canterbury’s mostrecent Rhodes Scholar, Sean Gourley, currently completinga DPhil in physics.The life-stories of Canterbury’s remaining 33 RhodesScholars are equally fascinating.Photo: Rob AspdenIn spite of Rhodes’ pacifi st agenda to create collegial ties between “thethree great powers [the British Empire, America and Germany]”, many earlyscholars fell victim to war. Among them, Canterbury’s first Rhodes Scholar,Henry Stokes Richards (1915), tragically killed while flying over Englandbefore setting foot at Balliol.More fortunate was Sir Jack Seddon Rumbold (1941), who survived thesinking of his battleship The Inglefi eld, with some heroism, to take up hisscholarship in 1946. Rumbold later became attorney general of Zanzibar, andhe and his family narrowly escaped a bloody coup with only the clothes on theirbacks, shortly after Zanzibar gained independence. Rumbold subsequentlybecame attorney general of Kenya.For Jack Ridley (1946), winning the Rhodes Scholarship was a release fromwartime duty. A major in the Royal New Zealand Engineers, Ridley went onto mastermind the diversion of the Waitaki River as senior design and projectengineer for the Benmore Hydro-Electric Power Scheme, one of the largest earthdams in the southern hemisphere.The New Zealand Rhodes Scholar to gain the greatest notoriety, perhaps,was Ian Milner (1934), son of the renowned rector of Waitaki Boys’ High, whowas famously accused of spying for the KGB. A known socialist and communistsympathiser, he was suspected of leaking a document while working for theAustralian Department of External Affairs in the 1940s.Even after his death in 1991, though the evidence was insubstantial, hecontinued to be proclaimed as “The Rhodes Scholar Spy” (the title of RichardHall’s 1991 publication). A lifelong friend of Charles Brasch, James Bertram,Allen Curnow and Denis Glover, Milner was professor of English at CharlesUniversity in Prague from the 1950s, and became an eminent translator ofcontemporary Czech poetry.Of Canterbury’s three female Rhodes Scholars to date, Charlotte Denny (1991)has made a successful career as economics correspondent for UK newspaper TheGuardian. Dr Jenni Adams (1992) returned to Canterbury’s Physics and AstronomyDepartment, where she leads a research team involved in IceCube, a multi-milliondollar project in Antarctica examining astrophysical phenomena. And ImogenDickie (1994) is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto.Dr David Natusch, Secretary of the New Zealand Rhodes Scholar Association,who was guest speaker at the Canterbury launch function, said the advantagesof winning a Rhodes Scholarship were many, not least of all the opportunity ofbeing part of the “great history of Oxford”, with “access to great people” and someof the world’s best academic minds, and the new-found sense of credibility andconfidence to talk on equal terms with others, however great or small.Gourley said his own future options “seem to have been broadened by anorder of magnitude” by the Oxford experience. The successful decathlete is nowconsidering working for NASA designing space missions, creating a start-upcompany, joining a campaign team for the 2006 American senatorial elections,or chasing “the Olympic dream” as possibilities.Often an integral part of the experience — although this has subsided inrecent years with Oxford’s increasing internationalisation — has been overcomingan initial antipodean awkwardness. For Benedict Kingsbury this manifested itselfas a difficulty in being understood. He spoke so rapidly in his Kiwi accent that hisfellows wondered if he was even speaking English.Kingsbury got his own back, however, during a cricket tour to Devon andCornwall. Asleep in his tent, he was woken to be asked for help by an Englishstudent — “the epitome of sheltered English public schooldom” — standing byhis kitbag with two uneven tent end-poles and no pieces left for the ridgepole.“I regret to say I laughed uproariously, and after helping him fi x it, went tosleep with macho thoughts of the superiority of a good New Zealand stateschool upbringing.”This reflects the other side of the coin presented by the exhibition, which takesits title from an essay by James Bertram, a Rhodes Scholar of 1932. He noted itwas Rhodes’ intention that the scholarship would not only bestow a civilisinginfluence on the “colonies” but would also bring the egalitarian ethics of thecolonies to a class-ridden Britain.Ultimately, the Civilising Mission exhibition is a celebration of scholarship andthe pursuit of excellence. Hardie Boys said it represented not only a celebration anda challenge, but also “a warning not to fritter away the potential that lies in all of us”.The exhibition is touring New Zealand’s university centres with support fromRhodes House in London, and opens next at the University of Auckland in August.Canterbury’s first and most recent Rhodes Scholars: Henry StokesRichards (left) and Sean Gourley.Canterbury’s RhodesRoll of HonourYear NameCollege1915 Henry Stokes Richards Balliol1917 Arthur Osborne Ponder Balliol1919 Norman Macdonald Richmond University1920 Stanley Powell McCallum Hertford1926 Montefiore Barak Hertford1926 Charles Eugene Low Magdalen1927 The Hon Sir Alec Haslam Oriel1934 Ian Frank George Milner New College1935 Winston Francis Monk Oriel1937 Prof Archibald Gordon Bogle Oriel1938 John Nicholson Matson Oriel1939 George Crowley Weston Oriel1941 Sir Jack Seddon Rumbold Brasenose1946 John Wallace Ridley University1948 William Percival Packard University1951 Donald Lorimer Schultz Oriel1953 Duncan Montgomery Stewart Queen’s1961 Christopher James O’Hara Tobin Brasenose1963 Dr David Francis Stewart Natusch Balliol1965 Dr Alan Henry Hayman Balliol1965 Paul John Alexander Tipping St John’s1969 Dr Selwyn Gerald Maister Magdalen1970 Dr Richard Ernest McConnel Merton1971 Peter William Trelawney Adams New College1972 John Woodhouse Lee Christ Church1974 Dr Vincent Robert Ham Pembroke1980 Dr Donald McGillivray Elder Wolfson1982 Prof Benedict William Kingsbury Balliol College1983 Ashwin Roderick Gover University1987 Dr Andrew John Moore Wolfson1991 Charlotte Maria Denny Balliol1992 Dr Jennifer Anne Adams Magdalen1994 Matthew Gordon Barr New College1994 Imogen Brigid Dickie University2001 James George Analytis Lincoln2002 Sean William Joseph Gourley Balliol18 Canterbury MagazineWinter 2005 19

Generous donation to boost legal research“Newdiscoverieswill astonishthe world”.Visitors from around the world attended the MOA telescope opening at Canterbury’s Mt John University Observatory.International collaborative effort bringsMt John telescope into operationThe search for black holes, extra-solar planets and theUniverse’s dark matter entered a new era in December2004 with the opening of the new $7 million MOAtelescope at Canterbury’s Mt John University Observatory.The MOA project is a New Zealand-Japanese partnershipaimed at finding dim stellar objects using the gravitationalmicrolensing effect first identified by Einstein in 1936.More than 140 visitors from around the world converged onTekapo for the opening on 1 December, enjoying the brightclear skies and wide views that make Mt John an ideallocation for the observatory.The President and Vice-President of the Japanese partneruniversity, Nagoya, attended along with the Japanese projectleader, fellow scientists and the Japanese Ambassador.Funding for construction and installation of the telescopecame from the Japanese with Canterbury supplying thelocation, the building and much of the technical andastronomical expertise.Scientific colleagues from Poland, the United States ofAmerica, South Africa and Australia were also present, alongwith representatives of the New Zealand universities involvedin the project — Canterbury, Auckland, Victoria and Massey.With its 1.8m lens, the telescope is New Zealand’s largestoptical instrument and has the ability to collect nine timesmore light than the existing telescope and to view up to 50million stars in a night. Its location in New Zealand allows itto view the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and theGalactic Centre, areas of the sky that are exceptionallyrich in stars.The MOA project takes its name from the acronym forMicrolensing Observations in Astrophysics, which refersto the phenomenon whereby distant stars shine brighterwhen obscured by an intervening star as its gravitationalforce bends and focuses the distant light like a lens.The effect has been likened to the technique used byCanterbury’s most distinguished graduate, ErnestRutherford, to discover the structure of the atom.At the opening, Professor Shinichi Hirano, President ofNagoya University, described the MOA project as a greatcollaboration between Japan and New Zealand which couldnot have happened without the co-operation of theUniversity of Canterbury. He looked forward to “newdiscoveries which will astonish the world”.The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Roy Sharp, said the MOAproject was all about partnerships: the international onebetween Japan, New Zealand and other scientific membersof the project; the national one between the four NewZealand universities; and the public-private partnershipwhereby the tourism company Earth and Sky funded thebuilding that houses the telescope in return for the right toshow tourists round the Mt John Observatory and to viewthe night sky from an optical telescope on the site.He briefly outlined the history of the observatory since itsestablishment in collaboration with the University ofPennsylvania in 1965 and said the MOA project was“one of the great leaps forward” for Mt John.The Japanese project leader, Professor Yasushi Muraki,described the telescope as a major contribution to thedevelopment of astronomy, bringing a long-standing dreamof his to reality. MOA’s search for dim stars had the potentialto also find black holes made at the time of the Big Bangbirth of the Universe, he said.Since its inception in 1995 the MOA project has discoveredseveral hundred new microlensing events, several involvingbinary stars, and has contributed to the discovery of oneextra-solar planet, the first definitive discovery using themicrolensing technique.In January global philanthropist Eric Hotungmade a gift of one million Hong Kongdollars (NZ$185,000) to the University ofCanterbury Foundation to establish theEric Hotung Research Fellowships withinthe School of Law.The donation will be used for researchand travel, with fellows required to publishsignificant legal research that enhances theprofile of the School.His Excellency Ambassador Eric Hotung CBEmade the donation exclusively for the use ofthe School of Law to underline its high rankingin New Zealand for research.In a handwritten note to the Foundation,the Ambassador stated that the gift to theLaw School was in recognition of theinternational law work carried out on hisbehalf by Adjunct Professor Gerard McCoyQC, who is his personal lawyer and whom hedescribed as an “outstanding alumnus” ofCanterbury University.Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Law) Professor ScottDavidson described the gift as “invaluable”.“It will allow outstanding internationalacademics to come to the Law School andto publish leading-edge research under theAmbassador’s name.”McCoy said “Eric is a superlative individual andhis munificence is exceptional. I hope that hewill continue to look favourably — generously —on our Law School.”University of Canterbury law graduateRosara Joseph had fine threads to dress infor her first day as a judge’s clerk at theCourt of Appeal, in accordance with thewishes of the late Gerald Orchard.UC Foundation Executive Officer ShelaghMurray said the gift was the largest ever givento the Law School and would greatly boost theresearch being undertaken.Hotung is the eldest grandson of Sir RobertHotung, the last of the merchant princes anda leader of the Chinese community in HongKong. He spent his youth in Shanghai and latertravelled to the USA where he graduated witha business degree from Georgetown Universityin 1951. He began his career in the New YorkStock Exchange and later worked for GeneralMotors before returning to Hong Kong torun his family’s wide-ranging business andproperty portfolio.In 1965, Hotung founded the Eric Hotung TrustFund with the aim of developing educationin Hong Kong and other countries. Followingthe independence of East Timor in 1999, heestablished the Hotung Institute for Timor-Leste to assist the rebuilding of the country,including help to provide infrastructure andcoastal shipping services. In 2002 the EastTimor Government appointed him Ambassadorat Large and Economic Advisor.The Ambassador recently chartered two DC-10aircraft to fly 400 tons of medical suppliesfrom England to Sri Lanka, to alleviate thesuffering of tsunami victims. In October 2004the Ambassador donated a brand new fivestoreybuilding to Georgetown University,which was opened by former president BillClinton and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor ofthe United States Supreme Court.Fund sees law professor’s wish come to fruition(Left to right) Deidre Orchard, Matthew Orchard, RosaraJoseph and Professor Scott Davidson celebrate theawarding of the inaugural Gerald Orchard Prize in Law.In December Joseph was presented with theinaugural Gerald Orchard Prize in Law.The prize commemorates the exceptionalcontribution made by Orchard to the Schoolof Law at Canterbury as professor, dean andhead of department.Orchard died on 19 January 2003 and the UCFoundation has fundraised and established afund under its aegis.Joseph, daughter of Law School academicProfessor Philip Joseph, was awarded theprize for excellence in the Law of Evidence.Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Schoolof Law Professor Scott Davidson presentedJoseph with the award and thanked themany donors who contributed to the GeraldOrchard Fund which has reached $25,000.“It is one of the best endowed prize fundswe have in the school, which is testamentto the affection Gerald was held in, notjust within the University community butAmbassador Eric HotungEnquiries about the UC Foundationshould be directed to the Executive Officer,Shelagh Murray, phone +64 3 364 2550 oremail shelagh.murray@canterbury.ac.nz.within the wider legal community and withinChristchurch itself.”Davidson explained that it was Orchard’sfond hope that the prize fund would reachsuch a level that the interest earned would beenough to allow the prize recipient to buy adecent suit for their first court appearance.“I don’t know whether that was as adefendant or as a lawyer, but context iseverything I suppose, so we should take it asthe latter,” Davidson joked.Orchard’s widow, Deidre, and son, Matthew,were both at the presentation. Deidre saidher late husband would be “absolutely tickledpink” with the occasion.Joseph began her job as a judge’s clerk atthe Court of Appeal in Wellington in January2005. She graduated in April with an LLB(Hons) and a BA and was awarded theButterworth’s Gold Medal for Law.20 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 21

tsunamiLearning from theWhat should New Zealand be doing to protect itself from tsunamis?Jeanette Colman reports.Photo: Erica DaiziellNew Zealanders need to be better preparedfor disasters according to CanterburyUniversity academic Dr Erica Dalziell.“It is not a matter of if but when a majordisaster strikes New Zealand,” said the civilengineering lecturer who visited Thailand inJanuary on a 10-day fact finding trip afterthe devastating Boxing Day tsunami.Dalziell was part of a seven-member teamthat travelled to Thailand to assess theimpact of the tsunami on infrastructureand communities and to see what lessonsNew Zealand could learn. She was chosenfor the team because of her expertise inrisk management.The mission was funded and organised throughthe Earthquake Commission and the NewZealand Society for Earthquake Engineeringand was led by Dr Hugh Cowan from theInstitute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences.The team first went to Bangkok to meet withstaff at the Thai Meteorological Office andthe Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre. Itthen flew on to the worst affected areas ofPhuket, Phi Phi and Khao Lak.For Dalziell it was her first visit to a disasterzone. “I have been working in the field ofdisaster management for some time but nowI have a new appreciation of the impact onthe people and the scale of the devastation.“We were walking around parts of Phi Phiwhere there was literally just nothing butcoconut trees and piles of debris. It was likewalking through a scene in Beirut.“Yet the loss of property is meaningless atthis stage, it is the loss of life that is so tragicand makes you feel incredibly sad. You think,you can’t let this happen to New Zealand.”One of the important things to understand,said Dalziell, is that a tsunami is not so mucha wave but a torrent of water. “It is completeinundation and the force of that water ishuge. In some places the water was as highas a four-storey building.“You could walk through three-storeybuildings and see where people had fled,terrorised. You could see the possessionspeople had left behind — even a birthdaycake — and that was what really broughthome the scale of the human tragedy.“In places, the difference between lifeand death was literally seconds.”The most devastated area was Khao Lakwhich also suffered the highest casualties.“In parts, the whole area from the coastlineto three-and-a-half kilometres inland is gone.There really is nothing there.”Dalziell was impressed with how the Thaipeople were coming to terms with thedisaster. “We were struck by how resilientthe people were. We were talking to peopleliving in the shells of buildings and they wereoffering us water. Here were people who hadabsolutely nothing, wanting to talk abouttheir stories and share their experiences withus. The Thai people will bounce back.”At the moment economic recovery hasbeen slowed by the dramatic drop off intourist numbers.“It has a knock on effect through the wholecommunity. There is a lesson there forNew Zealand where the resilience of thecommunity requires everyone to be fairlywell prepared. Even if you are located outsidethe damage zone, it doesn’t mean that youwon’t be severely impacted.”Unlike the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Oceandoes have a warning system for distanttsunamis. “We will know if one is comingfrom Chile and may have up to 16 hours toevacuate coastal regions. But in New Zealandwe can also have near shore tsunamistriggered by earthquakes along the oceanfloor, volcanic eruptions under the sea, orunderwater landslides. If we had one of thosewe would have less than an hour to act. Thatis where we need to start building publicunderstanding of tsunamis.”So what should New Zealand be doing toprotect itself from tsunamis?“The key priority has to be saving lives, whichmeans getting people to high ground awayfrom the coast. Strengthening buildings tosurvive a tsunami won’t save many lives.The water will come in even for well-designedbuildings. In Thailand buildings were leftstanding, they still had columns and beams,but their non-structural elements werecompletely destroyed — side walls werepunched out.“There are some simple things we can do, likeinformation boards on the beaches givinginformation about what to do in a tsunami,and having a process in place of knowingwho needs to be told and how to get thatinformation out to the public quickly.”People need to know how to react to anapproaching tsunami in order to savethemselves, she said. Seeing the tide recedeunexpectedly should set off alarm bells.In Thailand the tide went out as far as 1.5km,and people went down to the beach out ofcuriosity to collect the large fish and crabsleft stranded.“When you can see a wall of water fourstoreys high coming at you, it’s too late.“At the moment people are very aware oftsunamis; in five years’ time that awarenessis going to have dropped off. We must continueto maintain everyone’s general awareness.The biggest tragedy would be if, in a coupleof years’ time, a tsunami did happen inNew Zealand and we weren’t prepared.”22 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 23

Unexpected outcomes from Kiwi language projectBy Maria HandEducational excellence atthe University of Canterburyis recognised annuallywith the conferring of theTeaching Awards. Sevenawards were presented atthe December graduation tohonour outstanding teachingachievements in 2004.TEACHINGAWARDSRECOGNISEEXCELLENCEDr Jon HardingBiological SciencesHarding sees his role as being tocreate an environment in whichstudents will be motivated andchallenged, that encourages criticalthinking and develops the skillsneeded to become successfulscientists. “Mentor, guide andmotivator” are the key roles of thisuniversity teacher.As an applied freshwater ecologist,Harding incorporates real worldexamples and current environmentalissues from his research into histeaching. He believes educationshould be an ongoing process andthat his own personal developmentas an educator is fundamental tobeing a good teacher.Professor Peter SteelChemistryThe key message Steel wants to givehis students is that “chemistry isexciting”. He has developed variedand unconventional techniques toencourage student involvement andmake learning fun as well as relevant.Rather than using esoteric moleculesbeloved by textbook authors, Steeluses familiar substances likecaffeine, nicotine and Viagra to helpstudents discover general principlesthat can be applied to other chemicals.Students are encouraged to designnew experiments, to challenge thecommon rules of organic chemistry,to participate in simulated researchgrant applications and to refereemanuscripts for publication.Dr Wendy LawsonGeographyLawson’s ultimate goal as ateacher “is to help studentsachieve effective, lasting andtransferable learning”. To do thisshe engages in what she terms a“learning relationship” with herstudents, acting as a facilitator toenable, guide and inspire theirlearning. She attributes her successas a teacher to her passion for hersubject.Her teaching strategy is to have aclearly-defined core of content butto encourage flexibility andfreedom in how that core is used.Students are able to pursue theirown interests within it and usetheir own style of learning.When did the New Zealand accent firstemerge? Earlier than was previouslythought to be the case, according to thefindings of University of Canterburyacademics.Researchers involved in the University’slinguistics programme have, for the past eightyears, been working on major sociolinguisticresearch known as The Origins of NewZealand English (ONZE) project, supported bythe Royal Society of New Zealand MarsdenFund and the University of Canterbury.Late last year the group of UC authors hadthe high-profile book New Zealand English: ItsOrigins and Evolution published by CambridgeUniversity Press, outlining the results of thelong-standing project.The initial UC trio of Professor Lyle Campbell,Associate Professor Elizabeth Gordon(Linguistics), and Dr Margaret Maclagan(Communication Disorders) began theproject in 1996. They were later joined bypostdoctoral fellows Dr Jennifer Hay (now asenior lecturer in linguistics) and Dr AndreaSudbury (now at King’s College, London)in 2000. The sixth author of the book,Professor Peter Trudgill, Britain’s foremostdialectologist, joined the research team fora month each summer.“We found whereas the written records quiteclearly state the New Zealand accent was firstrecognised in around 1900, we now know itwas heard much before that in the 1870s or1880s,” Gordon said.What we recognise today as the Kiwi accent,and was then called the “colonial twang”,was detected in recordings of speakersincluded in the Mobile Unit Archive, theaudio recordings which formed the basisof the book.The Mobile Unit Archive is a collection ofrecordings made between 1946 and 1948 bythe New Zealand Broadcasting Service. Acomplete copy of the Mobile Unit Archive isnow housed in the University’s MacmillanBrown Library.The speakers recorded by the Mobile Unitwere born between 1850 and the early 1900s,and the 100 speakers chosen by the ONZEgroup for analysis were all first generationNew Zealand-born anglophones (Englishspeakers). They were also a cross-sectionof “ordinary” New Zealanders and wererecorded throughout New Zealand.The recordings provided insight into howthe earliest New Zealand-born settlersspoke and, consequently, how this newvariety of English developed. On the basisof the recordings, the book examines andanalyses the extensive linguistic changesNew Zealand English has undergone since itwas first spoken in the 1850s, tests previousexplanations for new dialect formation, andchallenges current claims about the nature oflanguage change.Hay said while there was an abundanceof projects on more recent languagedevelopment the ONZE project was uniquein the world.“No other country of natural English speakershas records that go back to the beginning,”she said.At just over 150 years old New ZealandEnglish is the newest variety of nativespeaker English (apart from Falkland IslandsEnglish) and is unique in that its full historyand development are documented inextensive audio-recordings.“There is a great deal of interest overseasin new dialect formation and this bookwill make a major contribution to thatdiscussion,” Hay said.While all the findings were “linguisticallyexciting” to others in similar fields of study,there were many results which were of interestto a wider audience, Maclagan said.One such example is the discovery madeabout the Southland “r”.“It is in words like nurse, work and girlwhere you get that real ‘r’ now, but manyof the early speakers pronounced the ‘r’in many more types of words, and evenpeople in other parts of the country,including North Islanders, were using somedegree of ‘r’ pronunciation. It wasn’t justthe Southlanders. We didn’t expect that,”Maclagan said.Another turn up for the books was that the“fush and chups” vowel sound was nowhereto be heard amongst the Mobile Unitspeakers, pointing to it being a much laterdevelopment.In May, Television New Zealand screeneda documentary on New Zealand Englishin which the ONZE project at Canterburyfeatured, and New Zealand English: Its Originsand Evolution is to be reviewed later this yearby Language, the top linguistics journal inthe world .The ONZE project continues to gathermomentum. Researchers are currentlyconducting a wide range of studies onaspects of New Zealand English, fromlooking at the use of boundary consonants(such as the “r” that is pronounced in “ma-randpa”) to vowel changes in the early20th century.The 1000 hours-plus of recordings that makeup the ONZE corpus were transferred fromaudio-tape to CD late last year, and by laterthis year the Linguistics programme will haveall the audio files stored digitally on a largeserver with time-aligned transcripts.“Researchers based at the University ofCanterbury can access the audio of any givenutterance, simply by clicking on the relevantline of the transcript,” Hay said.“This radically increases the accessibilityof the recordings, and makes projectswhich would have previously been hugeundertakings fall easily within the scope ofan undergraduate project.”Associate ProfessorAndy CockburnComputer Science and SoftwareEngineeringCockburn’s primary objective as ateacher is to instil in students thedesire to learn, encouraging themto explore, understand and,hopefully, advance the subject. Hebelieves his success as a teacherderives from the fact that he is anextremely active researcher.Students benefit from his insightsand they in turn are encouraged topush the boundaries of the discipline.His colleagues say that Cockburn“sets the standards” for teaching inthe department. “His passion forteaching, his meticulous approachto details, and his flair forpresentation mean that his work isgreatly appreciated by students.”Dr Jennifer HayLinguisticsHay’s two primary goals as ateacher are to spark students’curiosity and excitement aboutlinguistics, and to provide themwith the practical and analyticalskills to satisfy that curiosity. Herteaching philosophy “is simply toshow the students what I find mostexciting and intriguing aboutlinguistic research. They find thisinfectious”. Learning, she says,follows very easily fromexcitement.Her colleagues conclude: “Hermétíer has been to put her teachingand research together to benefither students through their activeengagement in serious researchquestions”.Dr Jessica JohnstonAmerican StudiesCentral to Johnston’s vision ofteaching excellence is the provisionof critical theoretical frameworksand, at the same time, the spacewithin which students can applytheir new found criticalperspectives to their everydayexperiences. In her AmericanStudies classes Johnston challengesaccepted knowledge, helpingstudents to explore the meaningsof such concepts as individualfreedom, social justice andcitizenship. In so doing, studentsmove towards both self and socialempowerment in the “real” world.A key teaching strategy is tointegrate contemporary primaryand secondary material within thelecture/discussion process.Ms Tika OrmondCommunication DisordersAs a clinical-educator in speechlanguagetherapy, Ormond workswith students at the interface ofacademic and professional practice.When appointed in 1990 she realisedthat being a speech-languagetherapist did not necessarily makeher an effective clinical educator soshe enrolled in the GraduateCertificate of Clinical Teaching.Ormond believes she now teachesnot only by supervision, but also byexample. While her official role as aclinical educator is to assist studentsto become safe and competenttherapists, her approach to that taskdemonstrates a commitment toeffective learning that extendsconsiderably beyond bridging theacademic-clinical divide.(Left to right) Dr Jennifer Hay, Dr Margaret Maclagan and Associate Professor Elizabeth Gordon have published the findingsof their research in New Zealand English: Its Origins and Evolution.24 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 25

CAPTURINGA PLACE IN TIMEChristchurch 2005. A place in time that will not be forgottenthanks to an ambitious University of Canterbury School of FineArts multi-media project.A Place In Time is a 21st century documentary project started at theturn of the millennium, though the idea behind it was brewing in seniorfi ne arts lecturer Glenn Busch’s mind for decades before then.In the early 1970s Busch and two associates interested the then primeminister, Norman Kirk, in the idea of establishing a photographic historyunit to document New Zealand life.When Kirk died the project appeared to be lost with him, but waslater resurrected by Busch following visits to photographic documentaryprojects in the US and Europe.By Maria HandPhoto: Uiga Bashford“I came back quite determined to set something uphere. Originally we thought of taking a look at the city ofChristchurch around the millennium. But everyone else wasdoing ‘millennium projects’, so I thought why not take thischance to make something ongoing, and instead of lookingat just a year at the turn of the century, make it last for 100years,” says Busch.Since the year 2000 students and staff have been usingphotography, oral history and written material to compile adigital archive at the School of Fine Arts. The archive hasalso been used to produce exhibitions, educational materialand books.The most recent outcome from the project is thebook My Place, , published earlier this year by CanterburyUniversity Press as a follow-up to the hugely popularphotographic exhibition held during the ChristchurchArts Festival in 2003.Featuring the work of fi ne arts students, alongside that ofeminent documentary photographer Bruce Connew, My Placerecords the stories and images of places of special significancein the lives of 68 Christchurch residents.The ongoing work of A Place In Time is to produce projectsof important artistic, social and educational content, aboutthe people of Christchurch. But Busch believes that the worksspringing from the project have global appeal and significanceas they embody universal themes, such as self-awareness, andencourage us to learn more about those in our communities.One of the reasons for the project is that Busch believes weneed to be informed about each other in order to makesensible social and political choices.“But how do we know about each other? Newspapers andtelevision tell us part of the story but to truly understandsomething about human life we need to listen to each other’severyday stories. It amazes me in a country this size just howlittle we tend to know about each other.”Busch says he loves interviewing people for A Place In Time.“The most ordinary person will suddenly come out with themost extraordinary stories. You sit down with anybody andthey have stories to tell. It’s something that never ceases toamaze me.”After decades of wanting to make a photographic historydream come true, Busch says what fi nally enabled it to happenwas the calibre of the students coming through the School ofFine Arts.“We have really high quality undergraduate students as wellas postgraduate students who are capable of working in thatsort of area if they choose to.”Students are not obliged to work on the documentaryproject, but most choose to and if their contribution is upto standard it is archived.“That’s quite a special thing for students as it enables them towork on something very real, not just projects for school.”The first official publication of archive material from APlace In Time was the book My Own Shade of Brown by TaiMulitalo, published in 2001. His fi nal year project, it tells thestories of six Samoan people living in New Zealand and looksat how they fi nd their place in a new community.“I really like the idea that the first book we did is aboutpeople who came to Christchurch to change their lives.It was a lovely thing at the beginning of a new century to startoff with that,” says Busch.Another early work was “The Aranui project”, a collectiveeffort where fi ne arts students worked with teachers andstudents from Aranui High School to document life in theircommunity through photographs.Exhibitions were held in the Fine Arts School, at an openday at Aranui School and at the Brighton library. The photoswere made into worksheets which Busch believes are still beingused in the curriculum.Other projects to date include Aimee MacMillan’s“Sanctum” exhibition of interiors of people’s homes; UigaBashford’s “Colombo Street project” looking at the manyfaces of Christchurch’s central street; “Up From Water” byUiga Bashford, Christopher Hooton and Mark Gore, featuringfundamental Christian groups in the city; and “The NinthYear” in which Hanne Johnsen captures Year 9 students froma cross-section of Christchurch high schools, portraying animportant transitional time in the life of young people.A life history is an annual project for A Place In Time.Each year students in the programme create a photo essayon a person’s life and Busch puts together an oral historyof between 5,000 and 10,000 words for each.Each year Busch also gets his third-year students to producean autobiographical book and many of these are included inthe documentary archive.“The reason I introduced that assignment is becausephotographers, especially documentary photographers,often look at other people’s lives, and one of the things thisdoes is teach the students what it feels like to have your ownlife looked at.“They are very powerful little books, every one of them.I would love to fi nd some way of publishing them all. It wouldbe such a wonderful thing if they could go into our highschools as they are about the experience of young people,told and made by young people.”One of the ways Busch hopes to make the archivemore accessible to the public is to set up a website.“For our fi fth year we are doing pretty well for anorganisation that exists almost entirely on voluntary helpand student work, but there is the potential for the projectto be much bigger.”Other works in the pipeline include a commissioned workfor the CCS called “An Ordinary Life” which looks at thelives of disabled people in Christchurch. Busch is working onthis with former student Hanne Johnsen, who is also workingon “The Young” which is a large body of work on the youngpeople of Christchurch.Above: Mark Gore captures children at play in Hampshire Street, Aranui, for the “Aranuiproject”. Opposite page: Uiga Bashford’s photograph of a schoolgirl on the corner ofColombo Street and Cambridge Terrace forms part of the “Colombo Street project”.Photo: Mark Gore26 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 27

A nose for researchAn A-Z of KiwiTwenty years ago, when ProfessorMurray McEwan began his studies intothe formation of gas molecules in theextreme cold and emptiness of Space,earthly events like the destruction ofNew York’s twin towers were the stuffof Hollywood.So too was the idea of a piece ofequipment, not much bigger than astandard photocopying machine, capable ofoperating more or less like a nose to detectthe presence of explosives and chemicalmaterials, and taking little more than 20seconds to do it.However, since September 11, 2001, thedetermination to curb international terrorismhas escalated to an unprecedented level, andforms the backdrop for the latest chapterin this story of pure science and its manyunexpected applications.It begins in the United States, where theDepartment of Homeland Security is chargedwith the responsibility of preventing terroristattacks on home soil. The DHS is a collectionof smaller entities, such as the TransportSecurity Administration.The administration’s mission is “tocontinuously set the standard for excellencein transportation security through its people,processes and technologies”.To help do that, the TSA is evaluating aresearch relationship with Christchurch-based technology company, SyftTechnologies Ltd.The two-year-old company is the commercialoffspring of what is affectionately referredto at the University of Canterbury as “BigBertha”.Big Bertha weighs in at four ton and is largeenough to fill a substantial room.She is the original Selective Ion FlowTube (SIFT) mass spectrometer, housed inUC’s chemistry building, and developedover a 20-year period by McEwan and hisresearch associates at NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory and other colleagues in the UK.The spectrometer was built to analysegases formed in Space, by measuring theconcentration of volatile organic compoundsand producing a fingerprint profile of theircompounds.But relatively recently it has been discoveredthat the SIFT process can be used to identifythe types of volatiles present in any sample,as well as their concentration, throwing opena range of uses for the emerging technology.Geoff Peck, Syft’s Chief OperatingOfficer, says the company has had tosignificantly adapt Big Bertha design forthe commercial market.Canterbury engineering graduates Mike Sharpe (back) and Dr Justin Stephenson refine the technology at Syft headquartersin Christchurch.“To create a commercial instrument itclearly had to be shrunk dramatically andmade according to normal engineering rules.It had to be designed for manufacture. Sothe first step was shrinking it down. We havegone through two shrinkage steps now to getto a commercial instrument.”He says the company has identified fivekey potential market areas. Security is oneof them.So how might SIFT MS technology be used toprevent terrorist attacks?“The technology identifies volatile organiccompounds. In other words, chemicalsexuded by passengers, their luggage orwhat’s in their luggage. Explosives, forexample, have key profile volatiles. So toodo chemical warfare agents and narcotics.“Therefore you could say whether or not aperson or their luggage has something thatis illegal. For instance explosives, narcotics,chemical warfare agents, that kind of thing.”But isn’t that already achieved by using dogs?“A dog is a very efficient way of doing itbut dogs can’t work 24/7. They have a fewother disadvantages as well. We’re basicallyreplicating what a dog can do and makingit deterministic.”The medical sector is another market ofinterest to Syft.Peck says the technology can be used fornon-invasive diagnosis of diseases throughdirect measurement and analysis ofhuman breath.“This is where we can look at the volatileprofiles on a person’s breath and basicallytry to figure out what is wrong with them.The other sub-part of that is looking at non-breath based diagnosis using the air spaceover blood or urine or whatever.”All the while, efforts to refine the company’sproduct are ongoing. The scenes at SyftTechnologies’ Christchurch headquartersresemble that of a research centre as muchas a manufacturing facility.“All companies have to be in research modeto some degree,” Peck says.“A significant element of what we do isresearch to support our current programmeand also future products. The kind oftechnology where we want to go next. Weput quite a lot of effort into R&D. Otherwisewe’d be going backwards.”John MacDonaldWe use them every day without amoment’s thought — cheerio, fastpost,gumboot, Santa parade, bach — thewords, idioms and phrases that anchor usto the geographical, historical, culturaland political context of New Zealand.But where else in the world would you tikitour in your Fendalton tractor, waka-jump toanother political party, solve a curly problem,or have a körero with the whänau?These are just a few of the more than 10,000“New Zealandisms” captured in theNew Zealand Oxford Dictionary (NZOD) thatopen a window onto New Zealand English asa rich, distinctive and thriving language, andthat have preoccupied lexicographer TonyDeverson for the past four years.The Senior Editor of the New ZealandDictionary Centre is one of perhaps twopeople who can claim to have read the1376-page volume cover to cover, at leasttwice — not such a daunting task for a manwhose personal library boasts nearly 200dictionaries, but the writing of it representshis largest dictionary project yet for OxfordUniversity Press.Deverson and co-editor Emeritus ProfessorGraeme Kennedy have worked with a smallteam at the New Zealand Dictionary Centreto produce this New Zealand first. Thoughthe Kiwi content draws significantly onthe late Harry Orsman’s 1997 Dictionary ofNew Zealand English — a collection of some6,000 headwords tracing the country’slinguistic heritage — this is the first largescalereference for general usage, combiningboth information on English as it is usedworldwide and as it is used particularlyin New Zealand, including New Zealandspellings and pronunciation.The NZOD comprises more than 100,000definitions, as well as more than 10,000encyclopaedic entries encompassing people,places, historical events, items of Kiwiana,and names from Mäori mythology. A series ofappendices cover historical and geographicalinformation, and the English and Mäoriversions of both the Treaty of Waitangiand national anthem.The process of completing this compendiumwas laborious but helped by the existence ofthe equivalent Australian Oxford Dictionary.Deverson says the project began with “de-Australianising” this volume, updating andmodifying the world content, then adding theroughly 10 percent of New Zealand content.“Dictionary makers are great plagiarisers,”he says. “They generally don’t start fromscratch. Although language changes andsociety changes, a large foundation ofmaterial remains the same.”Perhaps the most complex part wasdetermining which new words to include.“There’s a lot of freedom to go aboutselecting new words,” he says, but thelexicographer must decide between“the words that will survive and the moreephemeral”. He cites as example “theNaki”, for Taranaki, versus “Nakiwood” or“Tomonaki”, inspired by the filming ofThe Last Samurai.“While there were many written referencesfor those words, it was clear they would notsurvive the context.”“It’s not an exact science — it does depend alot on the subjective; but you develop a sensefor what’s likely to be long-term and what’s not.”To aid the process, the Dictionary Centre hasvolunteers systematically read through NewZealand print media on a weekly basis, andinvites the general public to send in theirown findings for future updates.Because language is constantly evolving, andbecause of the time-lag between completionand publication, Deverson says a dictionarycan never be completely up to date.Technological change is a key driver, and inthe context of New Zealand, the influenceof te reo Mäori is becoming increasinglysignificant. More than 600 word entriesin the NZOD reflect that about six wordsin every 1000 in spoken and written NewZealand English are of Mäori origin.Similarly, Pacific Island words are growingin prominence, which Deverson believesis currently one of the most significantdevelopments in New Zealand English.Deverson says that what the NZODdemonstrates most appreciably is thatthere is no prospect of New ZealandEnglish losing its distinctiveness. “We’renot being over-run by the Americanidiom, and New Zealand words arenot just slang words, as is commonlybelieved. That’s what we wanted tobring out with this dictionary.”Deverson (MA, 1963; MA(Manc), 1966) isa former associate professor of Englishand taught linguistics and medievalliterature and language in Canterbury’sEnglish department from 1966 to 2001.Amongst various publications, he hasco-authored three secondary schooltextbooks on New Zealand English, andedited a number of dictionaries for OxfordUniversity Press.The NZOD was launched by one of Deverson’sformer students, the Deputy Prime Minister,Hon Dr Michael Cullen, on 17 November 2004.Chanel Hughes28 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 29

A medicinal dose of theatreA laboratory for artistic exploration, anoperating theatre for the dissection ofideas: for the past five years The Clinichas served up a smorgasbord of eclecticmulti-media experiences to appreciativeaudiences around the country.The adamantly Christchurch-based theatrecompany led by five University of Canterburygraduates has been at the cutting edge ofexperimental theatre in New Zealand sincethe outstanding success of its first work,Synapse, Digging for Apples, in 2000.Lucette Hindin (BA(Hons), 1999), Haydn Kerr(MA, 2000), Anastasia Dailianis (BA(Hons),1999), Veronica Barton (BA, 1999) and Julie-Anne Eason (BFA, 1999) form the core of acollective of video artists, theatrepractitioners and conceptual artists whoseobjective is to create meaningful andemotionally engaging art by blending diversemedia forms, including film, onstage action,computer animation and soundmanipulation. Their works delve deep intothe human psyche, blending the real and thehyper-real, the familiar and the dreamlike.Working collaboratively with local artists,they have devised a string of innovative andaward-winning works, the most recent beingThe Peculiar Case of Clara Parsons (2003),which, with Creative New Zealand funding,toured New Zealand and earned a prestigiousChapman Tripp nomination for most originalproduction of 2004.Wild Night American Dream (2001), combiningAmerican jazz poetry, film noir images andlive jazz, received the same nomination,while Forbidden Room (2001) won Best Multi-Media at the Wellington Fringe Festival.Synapse, which was based on Alice inWonderland and had the audience follow Alicethrough an ever-changing performance spaceconstructed of screens and projections, wonBest Theatre and was a must-see highlight ofthe 2000 Fringe Festival.The Clinic was formed in November 1999 byHindin, Kerr and Dailianis out of the need for anongoing creative outlet after graduating fromthe UC Theatre and Film Studies programme.“In leaving university we needed to form ourown identity,” Dailianis says. “There wasnothing else [in Christchurch] at that timethat we could participate in, no othercompany we could join.”The stunning success of Synapse was anunexpected and welcome entrée into theexperimental theatre scene. In the yearssince, they have worked hard to develop amomentum, to establish themselves as aprofessional company rather than a cooperative,and were instrumental in theestablishment and administration ofOperate Trust, which supports the localperforming arts.The process of developing a new work isintensely collaborative. Each member of thecompany fills the role of director, producer,writer or actor on a project-by-project basis,and any one of them may initiate a project.The gestation period also varies from one workto the next, taking anywhere from 10 days toa year, and the concepts range from thetechnically simple to the amazingly complex.“Usually there will be a phase of gatheringideas, discussion, conceptual development,”says Hindin, “then a phase of physicaldevising — on our feet, taking the conceptsand trying them out; then a phase ofscripting and writing down, rehearsing andrefining. And if we’re working with multimedia,the filming of the multi-mediaingredients and putting it all together.”Each project is an exploration exercise — “wealways start off by exploring a theme or aprovocation,” Dailianis says. And the urge topush boundaries and excavate layers ofmeaning means they never perform a workthe same way twice. The Peculiar Case of ClaraParsons, about a young woman with amysterious illness, went through a differentincarnation with each performance.“We were basically trying to answer thequestion of why she was in bed!” Hindinsays. “Was she really sick? We were like dogswith a bone with that show.”This year the company made its first forayinto traditional theatre with a highlysuccessful production of Molière’s TheReluctant Doctor of Love as part ofChristchurch’s Summertimes Festival. Theyenjoyed the opportunity to work withdirector Teodor Surcel of the Court Theatreand under the auspices of the ChristchurchCity Council. Even then they couldn’t resistthe urge to play with the script over the 19performances, and devised their owninnovative stage movement.Dailianis says while the production was “sofun and easy”, and they enjoyed the noveltyof actually knowing the play’s ending, theirinstinct is still to do original rather thanestablished works.The group was inspired to pursueexperimental theatre by their experience inthe UC Theatre and Film Studies programme,which had a profound impact upon each ofthem. “I would be surprised if any otheracademic department engages you sopersonally, right to your very core, toproduce,” says Kerr.“We were challenged to combine theoryand practice — theories about the worldput into theatrical practice, theories aboutyourself, to really ask questions when youmake theatre.”Following the intense five-centre tour ofClara Parsons, The Clinic is now in a restand re-fuelling phase, with several of themembers looking forward to overseas traveland further theatre training.Chanel HughesPhoto courtesy of The Clinic.Until the establishment of law schools inthe English universities, learning thecommon law was a rather haphazard affair.The historian John Stow in his Annales (1614)reported that a legal education in the Inns ofCourt took approximately seven years, duringwhich students were subjected to “frequentreadings, mootings, boltinges [cases arguedover dinner], and other learned exercises,whereby, growing ripe in the knowledgeof the lawes, and approved withal to be ofhonest conversation, they are selected andcalled to the degree of Utter Barristers”.Not only was the mode of learning the lawsomewhat disjointed, but the course contentwas rather arbitrary, with considerableemphasis on the forms of action, that is,the various ways in which legal proceedingscould be commenced.Those of a cynical disposition might suggestthat little has changed in legal educationsince the 17th century. Law students stilllearn primarily by means of lectures,seminars and tutorials, supplemented by theoccasional voluntary moot. True, the use oftechnological wizardry such as PowerPointand web-based instructional techniques haveadded new dimensions to legal education,but has legal pedagogy really changed sincethe 1600s?An examination of the content of today’slaw degree in New Zealand shows that thereis a core of legal subjects which all lawstudents must complete. These subjects areprescribed by the Council of Legal Education,which is the body responsible for theexamination and practical legal training ofpersons wishing to be admitted as barristersand solicitors in New Zealand. The listincludes subjects which most would expecta law student to be familiar with, includingcriminal law, contract, torts, land law, publiclaw and equity. Beyond this core, however,the university law schools are free to offer arange of optional courses varying not onlyin content but also in their mode of deliveryand assessment.In the UC Law School there are a numberof courses which can be described asskills-based since they aim to developour students’ practical as well as theirintellectual capabilities. One such courseis Negotiation and the Lawyer, in whichstudents gain an understanding of boththe theoretical and practical aspects ofnegotiation in a professional setting.Trial Advocacy is another course in whichstudents are introduced to criminal trialpreparation and the conduct of such trials.This course is taught by a practitioner lawyerwho has been both a Crown Prosecutor anddefence lawyer. In both Negotiation and TrialAdvocacy students are videoed and have theopportunity to review their performances asLearning legal skillsnegotiators or trial lawyers. Every effort ismade to ensure that the situations in whichstudents find themselves are as close toreal life as possible, and many studentsattest to the extraordinary challenges suchcourses present.A further innovation in skills-based legaleducation in 2005 is the course entitledStudies in Legal Services. Here students areplaced in a variety of organisations wherethey are expected to engage in practicallegal work. In addition to this, students areexpected to keep a journal and to completea research paper that critically assessesan issue relating to the provision of legalservices in New Zealand. Organisationsparticipating in the delivery of this courseinclude local law firms, businesses and theChristchurch City Council.While it is not part of a law student’s formallegal education, many undergraduatesstudying for the LLB freely give their time towork as case-workers at the Christchurch LawCentre. Here students are trained in interviewtechniques which enable them to elicit thematerial facts from clients in order to assistthe Law Centre’s qualified staff solicitors tooffer appropriate legal advice to its clients.Not only does this help students developtheir practical listening and interview skills,but it also offers them an opportunity tocontribute to the local community in asignificant way.Other new courses offered at the UCLaw School this year also have a strongprofessional connection. Practising lawyersfrom a Christchurch law firm have offeredto teach courses on Securities Regulationand Immigration and Refugee Law. Studentswill not only be exposed to the very latestdevelopments in these fields of law, but willalso have the advantage of being able tointeract with those who are operating at theleading edge of legal practice and gainingfrom their experience.While legal skills training has a strongpractical element, in the university context itis always underpinned by sound theoreticaland critical perspectives which help studentsto gain a better understanding of legal rules,processes and institutions. Law graduatesthus emerge from law school with astrengthened specific and transferable skillsbase and an enhanced appreciation of theway in which law functions in society. It alsoensures that the Law School remains fullyengaged with both the legal profession andthe wider community.Professor Scott DavidsonPro-Vice-Chancellor, Law30 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 31

Chroniclinga Queenby Chanel HughesAfascination that developed morethan 25 years ago has translatedinto international literaryacclaim for Veronica Buckley.The first-time author is basking inthe glittering reviews of her defi nitivebiography of one of Europe’s mostintriguing royals, the 17th centuryQueen Christina of Sweden.Tempestuous, extravagant andgrandiose, the daughter of Gustav Adolfinherited the Swedish throne at just sixyears of age, was officially crowned at23, and then abdicated sensationally atthe age of 27. She renounced marriageand childbearing, converted toCatholicism, and took up the peripateticlife of an exile before settling in Rome,where she established a lavish salon forartists and intellectuals.Mistakenly declared a boy at herbirth in 1626, she was educated as aprince, could swear like the roughestsoldier, and was painted variously as alesbian, prostitute, hermaphrodite andatheist. Although her behaviour wasoften deemed erratic and scandalous,she counted men of high intelligenceand power amongst her acquaintances,and entranced all whom she met.Buckley describes Christina aslearned but restless, progressive yetself-deceiving, standing at manycrossroads of religion and power, scienceand society, and sex — “a dazzlingexemplar of her own quixotic era”,and a true child of the changing times.In Christina, Queen of Sweden: TheRestless Life of a European Eccentric(2004), she combines meticulousresearch with a lively prose style,exuding warmth, humour and a genuineappreciation for the humanity of hersubject, whom she first encounteredas a student at Canterbury.A French philosophy major, Buckleywas introduced to the correspondencebetween Christina and Descartes (whosedeath the capricious queen infamouslycontributed to) by her tutor, the late DrAlec Baird, while completing a Masterof Arts (1978).Buckley’s husband, writer PhilippBlom, was the inspiration for her topursue the biography so many years later.“He was working on a book aboutcollectors and collecting [To Have andto Hold: An Intimate History of Collectorsand Collecting (2002)], and told meabout a fabulous cabinet that had foundits way as war loot to the court of QueenChristina,” Buckley says. Out of thisconversation “the spark was rekindled”.Based in Paris for the past fouryears, Buckley was ideally situated topursue further research on her subject,with access to the various libraries andprivate collections that hold many ofthe primary sources relating to QueenChristina’s life.“I was lucky to be able to do a lotof work at home in Paris, since theSorbonne has one particular librarythat specialises in Scandinavianmaterial,” Buckley says, “and most ofChristina’s extant letters are held atMontpellier in southern France — partof a vast pile of loot taken from Romeby Napoleon’s army.”Close proximity was also invaluablefor developing a sense of the geographicalcontext in which Christina lived andmoved — not only the architecture, butthe landscape and climate, which playeda part in the young queen’s abdication ofa frozen, “dreary northern outpost” fora life of “warmth, among the paintingsand the beautiful squares and palazzi”of Rome.“You need to see where the peoplelived, the towns and the landscape,”Buckley says. “You do need to exercisea bit of imagination, since a great dealwill have changed, but most of the greathouses, for instance, are still intact,and the town centres.”A speaker of French and German,and able to read Italian, Dutch andSwedish, Buckley was able to makefull use of original sources such asletters and memoirs, which enabledher to chart her own course on a figurewhose eccentricities have inspired muchconjecture, myth and legend. QueenChristina was perhaps most famouslymythologised in the figure of compatriotGreta Garbo, in a fi lm that adheredonly loosely to historical fact but wasone of Garbo’s greatest triumphs (QueenChristina, 1933).Buckley says that one of the greatchallenges of writing biographies,particularly of someone famous, isthat “their reputation precedes you”.“It’s easy to be misled by what‘everyone knows’ about them. You mustlearn to trust your instincts about theirmotivation and so on — keep your ownlittle torchlight shining through all thefacts and figures.”The biggest challenge, she says, isthe sheer volume of information thatneeds to be assimilated to create acomplete world view.“You have to keep on top of thehistory and politics of the period, allthe economic changes, all the wars,the relative positions of power betweencountries, which of course changeevery decade or so. Then there are thelanguages — did this word mean thesame in the 17th century as it does now?“And of course the smaller details ofeveryday customs are very important forthe colour of the work: what did peoplewear, what did they eat, how muchwould a pound or a shilling buy?”Another occupational hazard of thebiographer is the task of decipheringthe “usually dreadful” handwriting ofthe manuscript sources. Buckley jokesthat the lovely climate of Montpelliercompensated for Christina’s ownatrocious handwriting.Buckley herself has led somethingof a peripatetic existence since leavingCanterbury, taking the long route toa career that is so obviously her niche.After university, she pursued music, herfirst love, working as a cellist for theChristchurch Symphony Orchestra andteaching at the Christchurch Schoolof Music. Travel and further studybeckoned, with postgraduate work inethics at the University of London, andin the 1980s, a complete change of tack,retraining in computing.In the late 1990s, she completed adoctorate at Oxford University on thehistory of birth control before returningto computing in the oil industry.In England, Buckley met herGerman-Dutch husband who had beenwriting for some years, and when shebegan to write also they decided tomove to France.“You can write almost anywhere,though for biographies, of course, youneed good libraries, so that meant wehad to choose another major city.”Buckley readily concedes that livingand writing in Paris is every bit thewonderful romantic ideal it sounds —“I thank my lucky stars for it every day”.“Paris is as beautiful a city as it’sreputed to be, and it’s very wellorganisedas well, which makes it apleasure to live in.”Buoyed by the success of her firsteffort, she is now embarking on aVeronica Buckley’s biography of Queen Christina isrecieving glittering reviews worldwide.biography of Françoise de Maintenon,the second and secret wife of Louis XIV,and a figure of intrigue to equal thatof Christina.“Her story is almost a fairytaleof rags to riches. Her father was amurderer, she herself was born in prison,and as a child she had to beg for food inthe streets, but she ended up marryingthe most powerful monarch in Europeand wielding enormous influence.”Buckley is particularly attracted toFrance’s siècle d’or, the golden centuryof Louis XIV (1638-1715), which ismade all the more enticing by therecent discovery of the Sun King’s ownsecret journal.“It’s a fabulous period to work on,very interesting politically and very richin sources, especially personal memoirs.And Françoise’s rise from the bottomrung to the very top allows you to lookat all the different levels of Frenchsociety, the misfits and criminals, theworking people, the life of the salons,the courtiers — a lot of reading to do.”Christina, Queen of Sweden has beenlaunched in London, New York andStockholm, with northern autumnlaunches to follow in Rome and Berlin,and translated into Swedish, Dutch,Danish, Italian, German, Portugueseand Czech. It was particularly wellreceivedin Queen Christina’s homeland,receiving a nomination for SwedishHistory Book of the Year for 2004.32 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 33

Medal for Canterbury’s spidermanTeaching ablazePossibly not well known as either auniversity course or a career, fireengineering has been taught as a Mastersprogramme at the University of Canterburyfor 11 years, thanks to continuing supportfrom the New Zealand Fire ServiceCommission.Begun in 1994 after a change to theBuilding Act, it is taught by senior lecturerCharley Fleischmann, Professor AndyBuchanan, and New Zealand Fire ServiceCommission lecturer in fire engineering MikeSpearpoint, who also handles co-ordinationof the programme.Spearpoint’s position is sponsored by theNew Zealand Fire Service Commission, as oneof the many ways it supports the programme.“We have quite a close relationship with theFire Service,” says Fleischmann. “Thecommission actually funds the programmeand almost all of their fire engineering staffhave been through it.”Additionally, student research projects oftenassist NZFS initiatives.Spearpoint describes fire engineering as “theart and science of designing buildings andfacilities for life, safety and propertyprotection in the event of an unwanted fire”.The changes to the building code now requireeach building to be individually assessed anddesigned to meet fire safety standardsappropriate to the way it will be used.By Amelia Norman“Fire engineering is particularly importantfor buildings, such as sports stadia, artgalleries, and airports, that are used fordifferent things and that may have varyingnumbers of people in them at any one time,”says Spearpoint.The programme consists of six compulsorycourses and a final research project. It isdesigned to be offered either part or fulltime,to students of widely varying agesand backgrounds.“Our oldest graduate was 55,” saysSpearpoint. “Many of these people have beenworking as professional engineers for 20years. We’ve got people coming from a wholerange of backgrounds and experience.”As the qualification is unique and offerednationally, distance learning is an optionchosen by many of the students, most ofwhom are spread throughout New Zealandand even overseas. So the teaching methodsused differ from the normal universitylecture format.“We teach in a sort of non-traditional way,”says Fleischmann. Heavy use is made ofWebCT, for students to receive materialfrom lecturers and submit assignments.Students based on campus have theopportunity to attend problem-solvingclasses from which notes are sent to thedistance learning students.Mike Spearpoint (left) and Charley Fleischmann are helping train the country’s fire engineers.In order to incorporate some face-to-facework, each course includes two three-dayseminars based at Canterbury. These areinteractive sessions where studentsparticipate in laboratory experiments,demonstrations, problem-solving andgroup assignments.“This method has worked out well,” saysFleischmann. “Students recognise the valueof these seminars and make the effort totravel to do them.”Another non-traditional method is the use ofproject meetings in which students and thelecturer essentially role-play a potential reallifeclient/designer situation and apply thepractical skills they have learnt.The programme so far has produced 100graduates and five PhDs with a further threestudents currently studying at PhD level.All of the graduates from the Master ofEngineering in Fire Engineering (MEFE) aresought after by employers, both nationallyand internationally.“There’s a lot of demand,” Fleischmannsays. “They are very highly sought after andit’s a bit of a problem because half of themgo overseas.”Most of the graduates have been employedby consulting firms, several have gone to theNZFS and others have been employed in theinsurance and building industries, academiaor local government.2004 was a big year for UC’s spidermanProfessor Robert Jackson. The School ofBiological Sciences professor was awardedthe 2004 University of CanterburyResearch Medal and was also named aJames Cook Research Fellow by theRoyal Society of New Zealand.Jackson is a world authority on theevolutionary ecology of invertebrates and aninternationally recognised expert on thebehaviour of spiders. His research careerspans 30 years, 26 of which have been spentat Canterbury University.Much of the research work in his UClaboratory has focused on understandinghow complex behaviour is organised byanimals with a very small nervous system,and what factors influence the evolution ofbehavioural complexity.Jackson’s research is widely credited for greatlyincreasing knowledge and understanding ofthe predatory behaviour of spiders.In particular, he has looked into theimportance of predatory versatility, mimicryand sexual selection, and the ways spiderscommunicate amongst themselves. Thesestudies, on a large number of contrastingspecies, have demonstrated how spiderwebs, visual stimuli and pheromones actas communication mechanisms.Jackson has established at CanterburyUniversity a state-of-the-art, high technologyspider quarantine laboratory — the only oneof its kind in New Zealand. Many differentspider species are reared regularly in verylarge numbers, enabling research to becarried out on exceptionally large sample sizes.Regarded by his peers as a leading andprolific researcher in his field, Jackson’sextensive list of publications includes morethan 200 refereed research papers. He creditsthe spiders for his productivity.“I can’t keep up, the discoveries just keep onhappening. These animals keep surprising usso the work is very much driven by them. Andthere is still a huge amount to learn.”Jackson says he was stunned when helearned he was being awarded the UCResearch Medal.“This is a real honour but it doesn’t justrecognise my efforts, it recognises the workof lots of colleagues.“It’s acknowledging these amazing animalstoo and proves that every spider gets its day.”Jackson was equally delighted to be named aJames Cook Research Fellow. The government-funded fellowships, which have come to beregarded as New Zealand’s most prestigiousscience and technology awards, are awardedto New Zealand researchers who areconsidered to be world class.The Royal Society awards the fellowships toresearchers it considers to be “forward thinking”and who are making a significant contributionto New Zealand’s knowledge base.The fellowship will allow Jackson to spendtwo years working on a salticid spider he callsthe “mosquito terminator”. His base will bethe Thomas Odhiambo Campus ofInternational Centre of Insect Physiologyand Ecology, situated at Mbita Point, a smallvillage on the shore of Lake Victoria inwestern Kenya.The mosquito terminator feeds indirectly onvertebrate blood by actively choosing as preyfemale mosquitoes that have fed within thepast 24 hours on blood, explains Jackson.“This is the only jumping spider and, in fact,the only predator of any kind, known to seekout specifically blood-carrying femalemosquitoes as prey.”Mosquitoes spread many diseases, malariabeing the most notorious. Malaria is adisease caused by Plasmodium, , a genus ofone-cell parasites. Four Plasmodium speciescause human malaria, and all four are carriedfrom person to person only by mosquitoesfrom one particular genus, Anopheles.“One parasite in particular, Plasmodiumfalciparum, , is directly responsible for severalmillion deaths in Africa each year, but thesegrim malaria statistics tell us only part of thestory. Malaria also has many devastatingindirect consequences, from loweringresistance to other diseases to inflictinghard-to-quantify economic costs.“Adults and large juveniles of mosquitoterminator feed on a wide variety ofmosquito species, but the small juvenileshave narrower preferences. Remarkably, theysingle out Anopheles as preferred prey.“In our modern global economy, malaria inAfrica is a burden that affects the wholeworld. Yet it continues to frustrate hopes forsimple solutions or a magic bullet. Havingfound a predator that specialises onAnopheles, , we shouldn’t be slow aboutinvestigating how it might contribute torealistic measures against malaria. And it’snice knowing that, like the vast majority ofspiders, the mosquito terminator is harmlessto people. With its bright red face and bigcat-like eyes, the mosquito terminator is anattractive eight-legged friend.”34 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 35

On location in NicaraguaBy Amelia NormanPhoto: Marney Brosnan, Department of GeographyGeography students have a better understandingof the plight of rural Nicaraguans thanks to anongoing research project being conducted bylecturer Dr Julie Cupples.Last year a University of Canterbury research grant enabledCupples to make her eighth trip to the Central Americannation. The trip was part of a research project Cupples isconducting in the region of northern León, on Nicaragua’sPacific coast. The research covers development processesin the region which have left a legacy of rural poverty,marginalisation and environmental degradation.Cupples, who was accompanied by two colleagues fromthe geography department, says the trip provided a significantboost to the department’s teaching-research nexus.Fluent in Spanish, Cupples has been visiting Nicaraguafor 15 years and lists the problems the region faces withknowledge and concern.“Much of this area was dedicated in previous decadesto extensive cotton cultivation which has resulted incontamination of the soil and left many areas infertile.“This area has also been subject to indiscriminatedeforestation and is badly affected by the unpredictable weatherpatterns created by El Niño, which has caused both droughtsand flooding and has a devastating impact on harvests.“León was one of the areas worst affected in 1998 by HurricaneMitch which destroyed housing, harvests and livestock.”However, despite the many difficulties facing thispopulation, she says there is a high level of politicalmobilisation and engagement amongst the people and itis this aspect that interests Cupples the most.Her research includes discovering how rural peoplenegotiate global development discourses in their attemptto create more sustainable futures for themselves.The research is being conducted in collaboration with alocal non-governmental organisation called INGES (Institutode Investigaciones y Gestión Social – Institute for Researchand Social Action) which manages a number of developmentprojects in northern León aimed at reducing poverty,increasing agricultural production, halting natural forestdestruction and strengthening civil society.Cupples says that despite facing a severe environmentalcrisis and high levels of rural poverty, as well as the negativeactions of the Nicaraguan government, the people of Leónhave begun to engage with global development discoursesin complex ways.“They are trying to bring about new and more empoweringconceptualisations of development and governance,” she says.An example of this occurred when the Nicaraguangovernment excluded northern León from its PovertyReduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), which it submitted to theWorld Bank. In response, elected officials and communityleaders in northern León joined with NGOs to producethe region’s own PRSP.Additionally, local political leaders and civil societyorganisations have called upon the government to address thequestion of rural poverty, which the government is actuallyrequired to do as part of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries(HIPC) Initiative.Accompanying Cupples on this trip were colleaguesPeyman Zawar-Reza, a climatologist who has recently begunto work with Nicaragua’s National Energy Commission toassess the potential for alternative energy sources, and MarneyBrosnan, a technical staff member responsible for graphicsand cartography.Brosnan’s trip was funded by a UC Teaching andLearning Grant with the aim of making a series of shortfi lms to document the country’s struggles over social andenvironmental justice.Brosnan’s footage includes: some of INGES’ projects innorthern León; the challenges faced by coffee producersin the harsh economic environment of Nicaragua’s maincoffee growing region, Matagalpa; and a meeting of León’sregional branch of the Group of Men Against Violence — aninnovative project in which men discuss and deconstructdominant expressions of masculinity in Nicaragua, with aview to reducing rates of domestic violence against women.The images of the Matagalpa coffee growers are beingmade into a fi lm to show the connections between globalcommodity markets and local consumption practices.The footage of the Group of Men Against Violence meetingwill be used in a stage three course entitled Gender, Spaceand Cultural Change.It is hoped the trio’s research will have a significant impacton teaching and learning in the geography department.Cupples says the fi lms “will enable us to target aspects ofenvironment and development that are central to geographicunderstandings of the world and bring the theoreticalconcepts used in our lectures alive in a very immediateand interesting way”.“The fi lms will enable students to gain a deeperappreciation of geographic fieldwork in action, includingthe practical difficulties which must be overcome to dosuccessful fieldwork as well as the rewards of spendingtime in difficult locations.”36 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 37

Honour society holds golden key to successChristchurchentrepreneurand Universityof Canterburyalumnus MikeHodgkinson is riding hisway to international businesssuccess on an innovative motorbikedubbed the FX Adventure TM .Hodgkinson, who graduated in 1998 with anMCom(Hons) in Business Administration, isthe CEO and founder of Design Synergy NewZealand (Desynz). The company, includingHodgkinson and a team of more than 20experts in fields ranging from engineeringand design to motor sports and aerospace,saw a niche for a revolutionary, light-weightmotocross bike.“An opportunity was identified to developa two-wheeled recreational vehicle so lightthat it can be carried on a car mountain bikerack yet will perform like a motocross bike,”says Hodgkinson.A Canterbury commerce graduate is taking two-wheeled fun to new heights.And that is exactly what Desynz has done.The FX Adventure TM is the world’s lightest,high-performance, all-terrain motorbike. Thecompany’s revolutionary design combinesthe agility and portability of a mountain bikewith the power and performance capabilityof a motorbike to create a world first in twowheeledfun.Preliminary research on the bike began in2002, and throughout the project a numberof University of Canterbury students haveparticipated. “We’ve had five postgraduatestudents do their major projects with us, twostudents on work experience, and we’ve justhired a BCom(Hons) grad,” Hodgkinson says.In addition, former head of mechanicalengineering at the University of Canterbury,Professor John Raine, was a key member ofthe project’s advisory team.For motocross riders the benefits of the FXAdventure TM are seemingly endless.Its weight (less than 45kg) is top of the list,followed by ease of transportation andoperation. Performance ability, which hasseen riders boast eight-metre high jumps,is a huge bonus, and it is quieter and hasa lighter tread than bigger bikes, makingit more environmentally friendly. And whocould forget the bike’s “rock star cool andmovie star good looks”?The benefits for Desynz are adding uptoo. In the beginning, the project attractedsignificant funding from both the privatesector and the New Zealand government.Since the bike’s creation, Desynz hasmet twice with internationally renownedtransport company, Porsche, in Germany.Hodgkinson says the companies are set tomeet again soon to test one of the bikes and“brainstorm possibilities for co-operation”.From there, it seems highly likely thatMike Hodgkinson’s plan to market the FXAdventure TM worldwide will be implemented,thus realising his personal vision “to takeKiwi ingenuity to the world”.Amelia NormanPhoto courtesy of DESYNZ.A University of Canterbury studentsociety is leading the way internationallywith an innovative youth forum engagingsecondary school students on campus.And their efforts are reaping rewards. Forthe second consecutive year, the Canterburychapter of the Golden Key InternationalHonour Society has won a Key Chapter Awardat the annual convention in the UnitedStates, attended by representatives of335 chapters worldwide.One of only 29 awarded, it was presented atthe Golden Key Convention in Atlanta, wherethe group’s academic adviser, Dr JessicaJohnston (Culture, Literature and Society),was also presented with the Adviser of theYear Award for the Asia Pacific region for thesecond year running.The Key Chapter Award recognises excellencein communication, publicity, meetingprotocols, chapter activities, communityservice, and participation in regional andinternational programmes, and reflects theCanterbury chapter’s strong commitment toforging the way by example with innovativecommunity initiatives.One of their most successful initiatives hasbeen the annual Colloquium, or Youth Forum,for local Year 13 high school students, whichlooks at topical social issues, such as geneticengineering and the impacts of terrorism.The Youth Forum is now being considered forimplementation worldwide.Other programmes the chapter is involved ininclude support for Cholmondeley Children’sHome, the mentoring of gifted studentsat Ilam and Aorangi primary schools,fundraising for equipment for Nurse Maude,and building a children’s video collection forRonald McDonald House.Founded in 1977 in Atlanta, Golden Key is aglobal non-profit, student-run society thatrecognises academic achievement and aimsto instil a community ethos in high-achievingstudents, while also providing opportunitiesfor personal and professional development.The society also provides scholarships andawards to its members, which number 1.5million worldwide.The Canterbury chapter has been runningsince 1999 and has a membership of 1910.Already, graduates who joined the chapterin the early stages are beginning to seesignificant benefits from their involvement.Kirsti Laird (BA/LLB(Hons), 2003) is just oneof Golden Key Canterbury’s success stories.Now working as a solicitor at a prominentAuckland law firm, Laird says Golden Keyhelped launch her career.“I definitely consider that my experienceswith Golden Key assisted me to gain thisposition,” she says.“I’m finding the job both demanding andinteresting, with new clients and issuescoming across my desk every day. Both uniand Golden Key helped prepare me to juggleall the different challenges I have had to face.“Getting a job in a top New Zealand law firmis very competitive, and I knew that I neededmy CV to show something more than justacademic ability.”Laird says it was partly for this reason thatshe joined Golden Key. Learning skills andgaining confidence in public speaking, andcommunicating with people of different agegroups and backgrounds were just some ofthe benefits she took away from four yearsof membership.As the Canterbury chapter continues togrow, the Executive Committee hopesto further engage the wider CanterburyWe congratulate all new graduates on the successful culmination of their efforts andwish them well in pursuing whatever path they now choose.The partners in Macfarlane Dougall Stringer are all Canterbury graduates and the fi rm is proud of its longassociation as solicitors for the University.We have a special offer for all graduates, staff and students who seek our advice in the areas of propertyand fi nancing transactions, trusts and property relationship matters over the next year. In addition weoffer a complete range of legal services including litigation. Contact any partner.Seventy Year 13 students had a simple message for peaceafter tackling the impacts of terrorism at the Golden KeyColloquium in July 2004.alumni community to provide supportfor its initiatives, either through financialassistance or by participating in Golden Keyactivities as mentors and role models.Vice-President Hayden Peacock says bothforms of support would be invaluable.Alumni can participate in a variety of ways:by leading lectures in the annual YouthForum; mentoring current students andproviding career advice; helping the chapterkeep its “finger on the pulse” regarding theareas of employment alumni enter; and byproviding an industry liaison role in raisingawareness about Golden Key’s activities.Financial contributions gained throughdonations and fundraising go towardsincreasing the benefits and services forchapter members, including scholarshipsand participation in overseas conferences.To find out more about the activities of GoldenKey Canterbury and how you can be involved,see www.goldenkey.canterbury.ac.nz, or contactNancy Milik (President), phone 021 264 1294 oremail president@goldenkey.canterbury.ac.nz.Don McBeath LL.BLindsay Lloyd LL.BMark Abbot LL.B (Hons)Kevin Clay LL.M (Hons)Level 1, Langwood House,Cnr Oxford Terrace & Armagh Street,PO Box 185, Christchurch, N.Z.Email: mds@mdslaw.co.nzTel: +64 3 379 1930Fax: +64 3 366 840538 Canterbury MagazineWinter 2005 39

Books in BriefThe Linoleum RoomKaty RobinsonVintage, 2005, RRP NZ$27.95, 271pp, paperback,ISBN 18694-1697XIn this sinister and darkly humorous debutnovel, Katy Robinson explores what happenswhen a broken family come togetherunexpectedly for Christmas in an isolatedfarmhouse. The story is told primarilythrough the voice of Annabelle, who is tryingto escape the devastation of finding herboyfriend in bed with her younger sister.She flees to stepsister Mia, who she hasn’tseen for some years, and is disturbed tofind her in a remote homestead, farmingworms, acting strangely, and pregnant toa vanished boyfriend. When the traitoroussister and complicated lawyer brother arriveunexpectedly, the scene is ripe for intensesibling friction and the emergence of longburiedfamily secrets. Most mysterious of allis why Mia disappears for hours at a time intothe linoleum room, a room she has forbiddenanyone else to enter.Robinson studied English and art history atCanterbury, completing a BA in 2000, andbegan writing The Linoleum Room in 2001while enrolled in Bill Manhire’s MA creativewriting programme at Victoria University.The Artful Science of Trout FishingJohn Hayes & Les HillCanterbury University Press, 2005, RRP NZ$49.95,258pp, paperback, ISBN 1-877257-19-2Ten years of research into trout habits andenvironments by scientists at New Zealand’sCawthron Institute in Nelson has revealednew information that will help anglersworldwide in their quest to understandtheir quarry. New Zealand’s foremosttrout biologist, Cawthron senior researchscientist and University of Canterburyalumnus Dr John Hayes teamed up withrenowned angler and photographer LesHill to publish this research in a book thatcombines the latest scientific knowledgewith practical applications for anglers. In amixture of plain language science, fishinganecdotes and illustrations, they explainhow an understanding of trout behaviour,biology and habitat, the seasons and thephysical environment will make angling moreproductive and rewarding.The book covers four broad areas: how landuseand flow change affect trout fisheries;the effects of increasing numbers of anglerson trout rivers; trout feeding behaviour; andthe distributions and movements of trout.While the book is set in New Zealand andgives local examples, it is applicable to troutfishing, management and conservationworldwide.An Ocean of Islands — a Pacific MemoirTom KennedyNandina Press, 2004, RRP NZ$34.95, 252pp,paperback, ISBN 0-476-004361-5An Ocean of Islands is based on the author’sexperiences and observations between 1954and 1957 when he was teaching in Tonga,and between 1966 and 1981 when he wasan inspector of Pacific Island schools anddirector of international education for theNew Zealand Department of Education,covering the South Pacific from PitcairnIsland to Papua New Guinea. The latter wasa period of significant change in the SouthPacific, with increased political activity andan increased demand for, and expansionof, educational services, which led to theestablishment of the University of theSouth Pacific in Fiji.Tom Kennedy (MA, 1951) was principal ofTonga College (1954-7), then a lecturer atArdmore Teachers’ College in New Zealand,also serving as a UNESCO lecturer atMakerere University in Uganda, helping withthe development of schools and teachers’colleges in that country. As director ofinternational education he was responsiblefor New Zealand’s educational commitmentin the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Nowretired, Kennedy has written numerousbooks and research papers about thePacific and Southeast Asia.Handbook of Research onInternational EntrepreneurshipEd Léo-Paul DanaEdward Elgar Publishing, 2004, RRP NZ$27.95,882pp, hardcover, ISBN 1-84376-069-XThis unique reference volume is the world’sfirst handbook of research on internationalentrepreneurship, addressing the increasingneed to understand the relationship betweeninternationalisation and entrepreneurship intoday’s constantly changing competitiveenvironment.While there are opportunities for entrepreneurswho internationalise, serious threats facethose who ignore the international arena.Knowledge of how, when and why firmsinternationalise has therefore become animportant topic for examination and givenrise to this new field of research, which blendsconcepts and methodologies from moretraditional social sciences. The Handbookbrings together contributions by pre-eminentresearchers of economics and sociology, aswell as academic leaders in the fields ofentrepreneurship and international business,including international consultant and McGillUniversity professor Nancy Adler, formereditor of the prestigious Journal ofInternational Business Studies Paul Beamish,delegate to the White House Conference onSmall Business Robert Brockhaus Sr, andgeographer Henry Yeung.The 43 essays cover paradigms and conceptsof international entrepreneurship, geographicand franchise perspectives, and the future ofinternational entrepreneurship. Léo-Paul Danais Associate Professor in the University ofCanterbury’s Management Department, SeniorAdvisor at the World Association for Small andMedium Enterprises, and Founding Editor ofthe Journal of International Entrepreneurship.Lyttelton: Port and TownGeoffrey W RiceCanterbury University Press, 2004, RRP NZ$34.95,164pp, paperback, ISBN 1-877257-24-9Following the same format as his earlierhighly successful Christchurch Changing(1999), Professor Geoffrey Rice (History) tellsthe story of Canterbury’s main port, notingkey events and patterns of change across 150years. From the “Pilgrim port” of the 1850s,with its single jetty receiving thousands ofCanterbury Association settlers, Lytteltongrew on wool and wheat exports to becomea bustling Victorian seaport, complete withgraving dock and Timeball Station. Thenarrative goes on to look at the 1867 railwaytunnel, the Antarctic explorations that setoff from the port in the early 1900s, whichincluded Sir Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated1910-12 expedition, the troopships thatsailed for the Boer War and both world wars,and the overnight inter-island ferry servicebetween Lyttelton and Wellington thatoperated until the 1970s.The final chapter covers the dramaticchanges of the 1980s and the often tenserelationship between port and town inthe 1990s.As patterns of trade and goods-handlinghave changed, the port’s appearance hasaltered considerably, but the town remainsa colourful medley of seafarers, fishermen,railway workers and watersiders.Many previously unpublished images fromthe Lyttelton Museum and the archives ofthe former Lyttelton Harbour Board enhancethe text.Going Native, Making use ofNew Zealand plantsEds Ian Spellerberg & David GivenCanterbury University Press, 2004, RRP NZ$39.95,256pp, paperback, ISBN 1-877257-13-3Have you ever wondered how best toincorporate New Zealand native plants intoyour garden? Or how to re-create a patch ofnative bush? This book is a rich compendiumof ideas, describing the many and variedpractical uses of New Zealand native plants.Containing information on 2400 differentplants — 80 percent of them found onlyin New Zealand — the book includes anextensive A-Z glossary, with detailed adviceon landscaping, cultivating from seeds andcuttings, conserving rare and endangeredspecies, and restoring native plant habitats.With contributions from gardening expertsto moving accounts from school children,this is a book by New Zealanders forNew Zealand.Editor David Given says he hopes thispublication will reinforce for readers thevalue of New Zealand’s extraordinary floraand encourage them to use native plantswhen they may not have done so previously.Ian Spellerberg (MSc, 1967) is Professorof Nature Conservation and Director ofthe Isaac Centre for Nature Conservationat Lincoln University. Given (PhD, 1970;BSc, 1966) is Botanical Services Curatorat the Christchurch Botanic Gardens anda consultant and part-time lecturer atLincoln University, where he is an AssociateProfessor with the Isaac Centre for NatureConservation. He co-chairs the global plantconservation programme of the WorldConservation Union (IUCN) SpeciesSurvival Commission.Freshwaters of New ZealandEds Jon Harding, Paul Mosley, Charles Pearson &Brian SorrellNew Zealand Hydrological Society and NewZealand Limnological Society, 2004, RRP NZ$69.95,700pp, ISBN 0-476-00708-9Complementary to Groundwaters of NewZealand (2002), this book brings together thework of more than 80 contributors on thehydrology and ecology of New Zealand rivers,lakes and wetlands.The 46 chapters contain a significant bodyof scientific research and will be an excellentreference guide for students, managersand scientists, from a wide range ofdisciplines, who require an introduction tothe freshwater field. Topics covered includethe impact of urbanisation, agriculturalland use, forestry, mining, hydro-dams,irrigation schemes and river control works,aquatic and riparian vegetation, fish andbird communities, pests and foodwebs,evaporation, transpiration, chemistry andsediment, seasonal snow, glaciers and floods,management, conservation and restoration,and human health.Many of the chapters deal with the negativeimpacts of our society on freshwater andhow these may be avoided or remedied.This is an excellent resource to promotesustainable management of New Zealand’sprecious water resources.Jon Harding (PhD, 1995; MSc(Hons), 1991)specialises in stream ecology in the UCSchool of Biological Sciences. Many ofthe contributors are also University ofCanterbury staff.You’ll Be a Man if You Play Rugby, Sport andthe Construction of GenderGraeme W FergusonDunmore Press, 2004, RRP NZ$24.95, 141pp,ISBN 0-86469-470-9Published in association with the ChristchurchCollege of Education, You’ll Be a Man if YouPlay Rugby examines the role sport plays indefining and developing our concepts ofgender. Using the first-hand experience of agroup of students, it explores the differentways in which young males and females usesport to express themselves, and how theattitudes they learn on the sport fieldinfluence other areas of their lives. Thestudents reveal how sport contributes to theirsense of purpose, achievement and identity.Graeme Ferguson is a lecturer at theChristchurch College of Education andteaches in the School of ProfessionalDevelopment’s Centre for PostgraduateStudies in the areas of assessment, teachingand learning and gender issues. This is hisfirst book, evolving from researchundertaken for a Master of Education thesisat Canterbury. Ferguson is now working on aPhD thesis examining masculinity issues inprimary schools.40 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 41

Alumni UpdatesAlumni NetworksTop graduates delighted by UCAA scholarshipsAnna McConnellStudents Anna McConnell and Rosa Nolanare both delighted and “very grateful”to be the recipients of the 2005 AlumniAssociation Student Scholarships.The scholarships, now worth $3,500 each,have been awarded annually since 1997.Twenty-year-old McConnell began her studiestowards a BSc in chemistry in 2002 on anundergraduate scholarship. This year sheRosa Nolanbegan an honours degree and hopes to followit with a PhD. Somewhere in her busyschedule she would also like to travel.The scholarship, which McConnell sayswas very unexpected, will help towardstuition fees. “It means I can possibly put themoney [intended for tuition fees] towardspostgraduate study,” she said. “I’d justlike to thank the Alumni Association forthe scholarship. It really helps and it’s soA civil occasion for old friends and mentorsCanterbury turned on sparkling weatherfor the 31 graduates and their partners whoattended the Civil Engineering Class of ’69Reunion over Labour Weekend 2004.Coming from as far afield as Australia, Malaysiaand Bangladesh, the graduates were delightedto see their alma mater decked out in its bestspring finery. Lunch and tours of the CivilEngineering Department, which has beenextensively re-modelled since the last reunion 10years ago, were followed by dinner with Mayor ofChristchurch Garry Moore at the Christchurch ArtGallery, and a day-long trip to Arthur’s Pass tovisit two of the South Island’s great feats ofengineering, the Otira Viaduct and Candy’s Bend.A special moment during the festivities wasthe unveiling of two portraits by Sally Hope ofemeritus professors Tom Paulay and Bob Park.Sadly, Park passed away not long after thereunion. The contributions of both to the CivilEngineering Department and to the internationalfield of earthquake engineering have beenimmense, and it was fitting that the portraitsshould be shown first amongst a group of formerstudents who so appreciated their mentorship.Emeritus professors Tom Paulay (left) and Bob Park with Sally Hope.Head of Civil Engineering, Professor Andy Buchanan,himself an alumnus of the class of ’69, said he wasstruck by the fact that 31 classmates meeting toreminisce over 35 years since graduation represented“more than 1000 years of professional engineeringexperience in a myriad of different activities”.nice to be awarded something like that.”McConnell was also awarded the George GreyScholarship for 2005 worth $2,200.Rosa Nolan is completing a BCom(Hons) inaccounting, and her dream of working in anaccountancy firm after leaving universitywas recently realised with the offer of agraduate position at Ernst & Young. Fromthere she hopes to gain her charteredaccountant qualification, which will takeanother three years.Like McConnell, Nolan says she wascompletely surprised by the scholarship.“When I got the letter I thought they wereasking me to apply for a scholarship. Then Iread it properly and was so amazed. I leaptaround the kitchen in joy.”The scholarship will pay Nolan’s tuitionfees for 2005. “It’s going to make a hugedifference to my financial situation when I’mout of university,” she said. “This scholarshiphas given me so much more confidence inmy abilities.”The Alumni Association Student Scholarshipsare funded by proceeds from the Universityof Canterbury Visa Affinity Card, memorabiliasales, and various licensing agreements.The top graduates from each faculty who areintending to pursue postgraduate study areeligible for the award on a rotational basis.“As everyone briefly described their careers,it became clear that the foundation of a BE(Civil)programme in the 1960s had led people in manyvery different but complementary directions.”University of Canterbury AlumniAssociationGraduates, former students, past and presentstaff members, and friends of the Universityof Canterbury are eligible for membershipof the Alumni Association. Correspondenceshould be directed to the Alumni Office.Wellington branchContact: Brian LynchPh: +64 4 970 3444Email: brianice@paradise.net.nzInternational branches:GermanyContact: Silke DeselaersJenastr 853757 St AugustinGermanyMobile: 0 171/5474747Email: silke.deselaers@web.deUCAM (University of Canterbury Alumni,Malaysia)Richard Tankersley, PresidentPO Box 1056550718 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaPh: +60 3 2141 0822Email: ucam@tm.net.mywww.ucam.org.myKuching Branch, UCAMContact: Dr Chua Ching GehPO Box 32193704 KuchingSarawak, MalaysiaEmail: chingeh@pc.jaring.myUnited KingdomContact: Sam JeffsEmail: ucukalumni@hotmail.comWestern AustraliaContact: Stephen AlpersGerard Daniels AustraliaQv1 Building250 St Georges TerracePerth, WA 6000AustraliaPh: +61 8 9322 0877Email: stephena@gda.com.auOther AssociationsNew Zealand Federation of GraduateWomen Inc (NZFGW)The NZFGW is open to all women graduatesof New Zealand universities, polytechnics,colleges of education and Wänanga, andcurrently has 15 branches nationwide, withlinks to the International Federation ofGraduate Women. Contact the NationalSecretary for your nearest branch (PO Box3057, Wellington, email: wendyz@ihug.co.nz), or see www.nzfgw.org.nz.Christchurch Classical AssociationMeets regularly to hear lectures from invitedspeakers.Contact: Secretary, UC Classics ProgrammePh: +64 3 364 2987, ext 8580Email: secretary@clas.canterbury.ac.nzNew Zealand Geographical Society(Canterbury Branch)Meets monthly for seminars and discussion.Contact: Secretary, UC GeographyDepartmentPh: +64 3 364 2900Email: secretary@geog.canterbury.ac.nzwww.nzgs.co.nzCanterbury Historical AssociationMeets monthly for presentations on historicaltopics by UC staff, visiting lecturers,postgraduate students and local historians.Contact: Professor Geoffrey RicePh: +64 3 364 2283Email: geoffrey.rice@canterbury.ac.nzOther Alumni CommunicationsCE News (Civil Engineering)Phone +64 3 364 2250 oremail enquiries@civil.canterbury.ac.nzto join the distribution list, or seewww.civil.canterbury.ac.nz.Geophiles (Geography)See www.geog.canterbury.ac.nz.Clio Canta (History)To subscribe, contact the Secretary,ph: +64 3 364 2104,email: judy.robertson@canterbury.ac.nz.UC School of Law Newsletter(School of Law)See www.laws.canterbury.ac.nz/newsletters,or phone +64 3 364 2602,email: law-enquiries@canterbury.ac.nz,to receive a copy.The number of University ofCanterbury alumni that keep intouch through the University’sAlumni Association has now grownto 32,000, with graduates around theglobe receiving copies of Canterbury,and an ever-increasing numberparticipating in events and reunions.We are always delighted to hear that acopy of Canterbury has sparkedrecognition of a mutual UC connection,and hope you continue to find value inmaintaining contact with your almamater and with each other, wherever inthe world you may be.Remember that keeping in touch is assimple as keeping the UC Alumni Officeinformed of your contact details. Youcan do this online by visitingwww.canterbury.ac.nz/alumni, or bycompleting and returning the enclosedAlumni Update Form. Please encouragefriends, family and colleagues who havea Canterbury connection to do the same.Contact:The Alumni OfficeUniversity of CanterburyPrivate Bag 4800ChristchurchNew ZealandPh: +64 3 364 2344Fax: +64 3 364 2679Email: alumni@canterbury.ac.nzwww.canterbury.ac.nz/alumni42 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 43

Event Diary Mark these dates on your calendarClass NotesThe following events were confirmed asof May 2005. For regular event updates,see www.canterbury.ac.nz/alumni.Note: If you are planning your own alumnievent or reunion, please notify the AlumniOffice so we can advertise the details.15 June Mid-winter Alumni gathering inWellingtonJoin other Canterbury alumni for drinksand nibbles with guest speaker Mr SimonMurdoch, Secretary of Foreign Affairsand Trade and one of New Zealand’s mostdistinguished and senior public servants,who will speak on the topic “A New ZealandPerspective on Global Issues”.Time: 5.30-7.30pmVenue: The Wellington Club (88 The Terrace,Wellington)Tickets: $25RSVP: to the Alumni Office (details below).4-7 July Australian and New ZealandCommunication Association (ANZCA) 2005Conference: “Communication at Work:Showcasing Communication Scholarship”(UC Management Department)Conference streams to include:Communication in the Workplace,Journalism and Mass Communication,Media in Society and New Media,Gender and Communications, Peace andPolitical Communication, Culture andCommunication, and Public Relations andCommunity Communication.Venue: The Arts Centre, ChristchurchFee: $425 (members), $470 (non-members),$200 (students)Convenor: Dr Colleen MillsPh: +64 3 366 7001, ext 8618Email: colleen.mills@canterbury.ac.nzwww.mang.canterbury.ac.nz/ANZCA/anzcaindex.htm1-3 Sept “Biculturalism or Multiculturalism– ‘Our City’ in central Christchurch” (UC Schoolof Culture, Literature and Society)Supported by ACSANZ, this conferencewill include topics such as 21st centurycitizenship, the meanings of biculturalism,Asia in Australasia, First Nation rightsand immigrant cultures, the multiculturalmuseum, creolisation, and the Pacificdiaspora. Speakers include: Simon During,Jonathan Lamb, Diana Brydon, Sneja Gunew,Epeli Hau’ofa, Bridget Orr, Alex Calder, ChrisPrentice, Ghassan Hage, Vijay Mishra, LydiaWevers, Alice Te Punga Somerville, SimoneDrichel, Deidre Brown, Gregory O’Brien, KylieMessage and Jonathan Mane-Wheoki.Fee: $150; $100 (postgraduate students)Contact: Mark Williams, ph: +64 3 364 2313Email: mark.williams@canterbury.ac.nz6 Nov “Bangers & Jazz” (Alumni Association)The annual Alumni Association garden partywill this year take the form of a BBQ amidstthe world-class azaleas of the Ilam Gardens.Time: 1pmVenue: UC Staff Club (87 Ilam Road)Tickets: $20.00 (covers lunch & musicalentertainment)RSVP: to the Alumni Office by 31 October(details below).19-20 Nov School of Law Reunion for Graduatesof 1965 and previous yearsPlans are underway for a reunion celebrationfor all law graduates of 1965 and earlier.Notices will be sent out shortly with atentative programme. The Alumni Office hasposted a list of “lost” law graduates fromthese years at www.canterbury.ac.nz/alumni; please contact the Alumni Office(details below) if you can assist with theirwhereabouts.14 Dec December Graduation, ChristchurchTown HallAll faculties are involved in this colourfulsummer ceremony. For further information,phone +64 364 2987, ext 8981, emailgraduation@canterbury.ac.nz, or seewww.canterbury.ac.nz/acad/graduation.shtml.For Alumni Association graduation servicesand gifts, see www.canterbury.ac.nz/alumni.Ongoing Tours of the Logie CollectionThe UC Classics Department boasts one ofthe finest assortments of Greek and Romanantiquities in the southern hemisphere.Guided tours of the collection are held on thefirst Monday of each month, 12 to 1pm.To make a booking, contact Roslynne BellPh: +64 3 364 2987, ext 8671Email: roslynne.bell@canterbury.ac.nzFor enquires contact:The Alumni OfficeCommunications & DevelopmentLevel 5 Registry, University of CanterburyPrivate Bag 4800, Christchurch, New ZealandPh: +64 3 364 2344, Fax: +64 3 364 2679Email: alumni@canterbury.ac.nzwww.alumni.canterbury.ac.nz/alumniCANTERBURY UNIVERSITY PRESSoffers Canterbury readers a saving of $5 onMY PLACEA celebration in photographsand interviews of characters andplaces in and around Christchurch230 x 200 mm, paperback, 148 pp,duotone photographsONLY $25 (overseas postage, add $10)Send a cheque or credit card details toCANTERBURY UNIVERSITY PRESSPB 4800, Christchurch, New ZealandPhone: (+64 3) 364 2914 Fax: (+64 3) 364 2044mail@cup.canterbury.ac.nz www.cup.canterbury.ac.nzBather, Andrea J (LLB, 1983) is currentlyteaching Commercial and Business Law inthe Department of Accounting in WaikatoUniversity’s Waikato Management School,doing a Masters degree in law at the WaikatoLaw School and standing for the Labour listfor the 2005 election. She has married twiceand has three children.Birn, Anne-Emanuelle (MA, History, 1988)went on to complete a doctorate of sciencein public health at Johns Hopkins University(USA). After nine years on the faculty of theNew School for Social Research in New York,Birn recently took up a Canadian researchchair in international health at the Universityof Toronto. She has a forthcoming book,Marriage of Convenience: RockefellerInternational Health and Revolutionary Mexico(University of Rochester Press), and has justpublished a critique of the Bill and MelindaGates Foundation in The Lancet entitled“Gates’ Grandest Challenge: OvercomingTechnology as Public Health Ideology”.Email: ae.birn@utoronto.ca.Burt, Caroline M (BMus/BA, Mathematics,2003) has enlisted in the RNZ Navy as amusician. She is currently playing the flutefor the band and was previously in thesaxophone section.Cairns, David J A (LLB(Hons), 1983) completedan LLM and PhD at Toronto and Cambridgeuniversities respectively, and is currentlyworking as a lawyer in Madrid, Spain.Coop, Ian Edward (MSc, Physics/Chemistry,1936; DSc honoris causa, 1978) spent two yearsat Oxford University and a year at CambridgeUniversity on an 1851 Exhibition Scholarship,gaining a DPhil. He worked on radar in NewZealand in 1940, and was sent to London(1940-5) to keep the DSIR informed on allmatters of research and development inBritain. Upon return home, Coop wasappointed professor of animal production atLincoln College. He retired from Lincoln in1968, becoming an international consultantin animal production until 1992. He wasawarded an OBE in 1976 and a CBE in 1992.Flaherty (formerly Flaherty-Dunbier),Susan M (BA(Hons), History, 1995) is SeniorEditor for the Publications Office of theUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore (USA),and raising two children.Halstead, Gabrielle L (BA(Hons), Sociology,2000) travelled for six months throughEurope and Asia, and then worked for 18months at the Australasian FederalDepartment of Health and Aging in Sydney(Australia). She is currently working as apolicy analyst and project manager for theNew Zealand Ministry of Health, and is partwaythrough a postgraduate certificate inpublic policy at Victoria University.Litten, Gregory G (BSc, Geography, 1994) hasmade a career as a park interpretive ranger inthe United States. After working at threeother parks, he recently returned to theGrand Canyon National Park as a supervisoryranger. He married fellow park ranger Bridgetin September 2004.Morris, Diane R (BFA, Engraving, 1986) spent18 years working as a graphic designer inSydney, engaged on projects for AustralianCricket and Rugby League and the 2000Sydney Olympics. In 2004, she completed aDiploma of Education and is now teachingart, computer graphics, graphics and design,and textiles at Havelock North High School.Narayan, Praneita S (BForSc, 2002) worked atFiji Pine Ltd as a GIS trainee and planningofficer for 10 months and is currently at FijiHardwood Corporation Ltd as CertificationProgramme Co-ordinator.Njai, Saikou B M (MEM, Health & Safety, 1999)returned home to The Gambia to work for sixmonths as an agricultural officer in the Soiland Water Management Unit (SWMU) of theDepartment of Agricultural Services. In 1999he was seconded to the National EnvironmentAgency as programme officer. Now SeniorProgramme Officer, Njai heads theEnvironmental Quality Programme, in chargeof pollution control and waste managementissues in The Gambia, and represents hiscountry at numerous international fora. He iscurrently the focal person for the BaselConvention on the Trans-boundary Movementof Hazardous Waste, and travels to Geneva twiceannually to attend technical group meetings.Quigley, Derek F (LLB, 1968) is currently aVisiting Fellow at the Strategic and DefenceStudies Centre at the Australian NationalUniversity, where he is researching NewZealand defence policy changes from the mid1980s to the present. Following this researchproject, he intends to move on to trans-Tasman and regional security issues.Remacha, Jeremy J (BE, Mechanical, 1988)spent 12 years with the Royal New Zealand AirForce after graduating. In 1991, he completedan MSc at Cranfield University in aerospacedesign, and is now general manger at Safe AirLimited in Blenheim.Sellar, Margot (Polly) A (BA, French, 1985)worked for Vogue magazine (UK) for 11 years,then co-authored a book on dermatologywith the Professor of Dermatology at UCLA,while continuing to contribute to newspapersupplementary magazines. Sellar is now athome looking after her three children: Maddie(5), William (3) and Mathilde (four months).Small, John J (MA, Education, 1954) has beenediting and writing historical non-fiction. Heis currently researching renowned CanterburyCollege political science and historyprofessor Sir James Hight.Tocker, James M (MCom, Accountancy, 1945)graduated while serving in the RNZAF inNew Zealand and the South Pacific. Afterdischarge in 1945, he was employed byNicholls North and Nicholls, an accountancycompany in Christchurch, later becoming apartner. He was the first full-time secretaryof the New Zealand Society of Accountants,and a Canterbury audit inspector for theNew Zealand Law Society.Trezise, Anne M (MusB, 1974) has lived in Parissince 1976, teaching piano at the BritishSchool of Paris and privately. In 1988 she wasappointed representative in France for theAssociated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.Urquhart, Gregory M (BA, Political Science,1990) has come full circle since leavinguniversity. Working for a number ofcompanies in the IT and communicationsector, he shifted back to Christchurch afterliving in Rotorua and Dunedin, and nowresides only a couple of kilometres fromwhere he lived during university days. As asales and account manager for TelecomNew Zealand, he spends a lot of timeliaising with his alma mater.Wall, Gavin L (BE, Agricultural Engineering,1977) completed a PhD at McGill University(Canada) and a Diploma of Business Studiesat Massey University. He worked as a designengineer for three years, before moving to anacademic post in agricultural engineering atMassey University. In 1992, he was appointedto the foundation chair in AgriculturalEngineering, and head of the Institute ofTechnology and Engineering in 1999. He thentook up the position of chief of theAgricultural and Food Engineering Service inthe Food and Agriculture Organisation of theUnited Nations (2003), and is now based inRome with responsibility for the globaloperation of that service.Wilson, C Kristy (BSc, Geography, 2003) hashad two contracts since completing herstudies: the first at Environment Southland;the second as a policy analyst for FederatedFarmers. She now has a permanent full-timejob at A B Lime Ltd and Regional Landfill inInvercargill, where she undertakesenvironmental monitoring and reporting,health and safety, and process control.Wong Siew Tung (Tony) (DipEd, 1976)launched his memoir Footprints in November2004. The autobiography chronicles hismemories of growing up in Sibu, Malaysia,his experiences of studying in the USA andNew Zealand, and of 33 years of teachingEnglish language and literature at secondaryand tertiary level. It also includes a collectionof his published and unpublished poetry.Wong currently lectures in English at theMethodist Pilley Institute and MethodistTheological School in Sibu.44 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 45

ObituariesAlumni BenefitsEllis, Murray Roland (BE, Mechanical, 1951),b. 11 October 1924, d. 2 February 2005.Murray Ellis was one of five New Zealandersknown collectively as “The Old Firm”, led bySir Edmund Hillary, who beat their Britishcounterparts to the South Pole in thesummer of 1957-8. Not only did the keenmountaineer’s engineering skills keep theteam’s modified Ferguson farm tractorsgoing, but his Dunedin company, Arthur Ellisand Co, supplied the explorers with purposedesignedpolar clothing and sleeping bags.After the Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Ellisaccompanied Hillary to the Himalayas onseveral climbing trips, also helping withaid projects in Nepal.Ellis was schooled at Waitaki Boys’ High andleft during WWII to join the British Navy’sFleet Air Arm. He was chosen for specialisedaircraft-carrier flying with the US Navy, butnever went into action. Study at Canterburyfollowed, and a strong commitment to rugbyas prop in the University senior team.Returning home to Dunedin, Ellis representedOtago and joined the family bedding andmountainwear firm, progressing to executivedirector before retiring in 1980.Gill, Pamela (Sam) May Jane (MA, English,1997), b. 1955, d. 22 September 2004.Initially enrolled for a BA in psychology, SamGill discovered a passion for English literaturewith the Modern and Restoration Dramacourse she took as a “filler”. PursuingRenaissance Prose and Poetry (ENGL 207) thefollowing year, she found her niche with thepoets of the 16th and 17th centuries, inparticular John Donne and John Milton, andafter completing her degrees, taught in theENGL 207 course on and off for four years. In1999, she joined the University’s Writing andStudy Skills Programme (WASS) as a tutor,turning her considerable energy to teachingacademic writing and developing the WASSpostgraduate seminar series. Gill often saidshe could not have made up a job that suitedher better, and her passion and dedicationwere rewarded with a University TeachingAward in 2002 and the award for best Artslecturer in 2003.Hanly, James (Pat) Patrick, b. 2 August,d. September 2004.Pat Hanly was one of a small group of artistsattributed with redefining New Zealand art inthe second half of the 20th century. Afterleaving Palmerston North Boys’ High School inthe fifth form, Hanly worked as a hairdresserbefore attending Canterbury’s School of FineArts at the age of 21. He then went to Britainand Italy, supporting himself with part-timework and a modest scholarship from theItalian government while painting. In 1962 hewas appointed a part-time lecturer in theUniversity of Auckland’s school of architecturewhile continuing a steady practice ofpainting, printmaking, mural design andexhibiting. He created large murals forAuckland Airport, the University of Auckland,the Christchurch Town Hall, and the AoteaCentre’s Convention Centre, and designed andmade many prints for protest causes. Hiswork is now held in all of New Zealand’s majorgalleries and in many private collections.Pallot, June (BArch(Hons), 1991 (Auck);BCA(Hons) (Vic); PhD (Vic)), b. 1953,d. November 2004.Professor June Pallot was one of NewZealand’s leading accountancy academicsand an international expert in the field ofpublic sector accounting.Pallot was appointed to the University ofCanterbury chair in accounting in December1996, after being a senior lecturer at VictoriaUniversity, Wellington. A fellow of theInstitute of Chartered Accountants, she hada long-standing involvement in settingaccounting standards for the public sectorthrough her membership of the Public SectorAccounting Committee, Financial ReportingCommittee, Financial Reporting StandardsBoard and Society of Local GovernmentManagers. Pallot also held a variety of publicsector positions: she was appointed to theTelecom Establishment Board in 1986 andserved as a director until the company’sprivatisation in 1991. In 1992, she became amember of a government taskforce to developlong-term policy for school property, andbetween 1993 and 1995 was on secondment tothe Audit Office as assistant auditor general.She undertook research on behalf of a diverserange of organisations around the world,from the Commonwealth Secretariat to theStockholm Centre for Organisational Research.Park, Robert (Bob) (ME, Civil, 1958; PhD, 1964(Bristol); DEng honoris causa, 2001), b. 1933,d. October 2004.Emeritus Professor Bob Park wasinternationally renowned for his workwith structural concrete and earthquakeengineering, and played an importantleadership role in education. Born in Fiji, hereceived his initial education in Suva, beforegoing on to study at the then CanterburyUniversity College and the University ofBristol. He returned to Canterbury as a seniorlecturer in 1965, becoming a professor in1968, head of the Civil EngineeringDepartment from 1978 to 1992, and deputyvice-chancellor of the University from 1993until his retirement in 1999. Park’s considerablework in earthquake engineering significantlyinfluenced the development and writing ofEmeritus Professor Bob Parkthe first New Zealand Concrete Code andhis work has shaped structural practiceworldwide, particularly in the United States,Europe, Japan, China and South America.He held numerous high-profile positions,nationally and internationally, and receivedmore than 20 prestigious awards in NewZealand and overseas. In 1978, he was thefirst civil engineer to become a fellow ofthe Royal Society of New Zealand, and in1995, was awarded an OBE for his servicesto civil engineering.Meikle, James Matthew Enfield (BE(Hons)Civil, 1996), b. 4 August 1971, d. 6 February 2005.James Meikle attended Rathkeale Collegein Masterton, and was deputy head prefectin 1989. He then spent a year as a tutor atShrewsbury School in Shropshire (UK), whereone master later noted that no-one in the15 years since had matched his contributionin that role. He began studies at Canterburythe following year, and after graduatingjoined Beca Carter in Wellington. He went onto work as a consulting engineer in Londonand Bath, travelling extensively during thistime. In 1998, he was diagnosed with a braintumour and valiantly underwent four brainoperations, running a half marathon a weekbefore the third operation, and the NewYork marathon in 2000. He passed awaypeacefully at his family home in Silverstreamon Waitangi Day, aged 33.In many instances you will require an Alumni Association Membership Card to access these benefits.This card is free upon request to the Alumni Office.Internet accessEnjoy competitive rates on Internet accessthrough the UC Information TechnologyDepartment. For more information,phone +64 3 364 2060,email helpdesk@it.canterbury.ac.nz,or visit www.it.canterbury.ac.nz.Find a friend with CATSThe Canterbury Alumni Tracking Serviceallows you to get in touch with lost friendsand colleagues who may be registered onour alumni database. Please provide name,degree/course and years of study, if known.NB: The Alumni Office complies in allrespects with the Privacy Act and will notgive out personal information without theindividual’s permission.Use the LibraryContinue to enjoy borrowing rights at one ofNew Zealand’s top university libraries witha 25% discount on the standard externalborrowers’ fee. $150 per annum or $75 for sixmonths. Note: applicants must reside in theChristchurch area. Phone +64 3 364 2987, ext8723, or visit www.library.canterbury.ac.nz.Sign up for CareerHubUC students, recent graduates andemployers can take advantage of the CareerDevelopment and Employer Liaison Centre’sexcellent website CareerHub, which providesinformation on recruitment, vacancies,events, employer details, seminars, weblinks, news and articles. Register at www.canterbury.ac.nz/student/careers.UC memorabiliaThe Alumni Office stocks a wide range ofitems to commemorate your time at UC (seeenclosed order form). All products may bepurchased over the counter, year-round, whenyou visit the Alumni Office (opening hours:8.30am-5pm, Monday-Friday).UC clothing may be purchased at theStudents’ Association.Sign up for a UC Visa cardApply for the credit card with a difference:it both commemorates your time at UC andraises funds for student scholarships, at noextra cost to you. Contact the Alumni Officefor more information.Organise a reunionKeen to meet up with old friends? Whynot organise your own event or reunion?The Alumni Office can provide advice andassistance. Contact the Alumni Office formore information.Maintain your gym membershipThe UC Recreation Services & Sports ScienceCentre offers alumni competitive rates forgym membership. Services on offer includeweight-training, circuits, aerobics (step, pump,spin, etc), squash, team sports, recreationalclasses, climbing and much, much more.Phone +64 3 364 2433, or visitwww.phed.canterbury.ac.nz.Join the University Staff ClubEnjoy the Staff Club’s excellent hospitalityfor $84 per year. Contact the Alumni Officefor an application form (not open tocurrent students).Off-campus benefitsSix Continents Hotels and ResortsExceptional rates at more than 3200 hotelsand resorts worldwide. Phone toll free: 0800801 111 to make a booking, and quote the UCnumber: 958384347.Pacifica Lodges & Inns10% off normal accommodation rates at over70 properties nationwide. For reservations,phone toll free: 0800 800 112,or visit www.pacificahotels.co.nz.Church Corner Amcal Chemist10% discount on all purchases (excludesprescription and “on special” items).Open 7 days a week until 8.30pm.The Alumni OfficeCommunications and DevelopmentLevel 5, RegistryUniversity of CanterburyPrivate Bag 4800ChristchurchNew ZealandPh: +64 3 364 2344Fax: +64 3 364 2679alumni@canterbury.ac.nzwww.canterbury.ac.nz/alumniIf your credit card says somethingabout you this one speaks volumes.The University of Canterbury Visa card benefits both you and your university. You canearn hotpoints to gain a range of great rewards, including Air New Zealand AirpointsTM.And, each year that your account is open, the University of Canterbury will receive acash donation from Westpac for its student scholarship fund. For more information,or to get an application form, call 0800 557 600 or contact the University of CanterburyAlumni Office, ph: (03) 364 2344, email: alumni@canterbury.ac.nz.Things you should know: Westpac’s current standard credit lending criteria, hotpoints terms and conditions and an annual charge apply ($30 withhotpoints, $20 without hotpoints). The terms, conditions and charges for Westpac credit cards are subject to change. Westpac Banking CorporationABN 33 007 457 141, incorporated in Australia (New Zealand division).46 Canterbury Magazine Winter 2005 47